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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2016)
22 Wednesday, July 13, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon CELEBRATION: CPR is critical to survival for cardiac arrest Continued from page 1 “Ed was clinically dead at that point,” Fire Chief Roger Johnson recounted. Morrell jumped into action — despite the fact that he didn’t actually “know” CPR. The career Navy veteran told The Nugget, “I’ve seen a lot of training tapes, but I never had a course. I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants.” Immediate action was critical, though, if his friend was to have a chance. Morrell knew he was on the verge of death. Not acting was not an option. “I figured if I didn’t do something, he wasn’t going to be around,” Morrell said. While Morrell performed chest compressions, his friend Stan Kunzman ran to the neighbor’s house. As Chief Johnson noted, the neighbor wasn’t just any neighbor; “he was the dream neighbor” — a vol- unteer captain with Sisters- Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. Captain Doug Myers ran to the scene and took over CPR while calling for addi- tional help over his radio. Firefighters from the nearby Squaw Creek Canyon station responded with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and an ambulance was dis- patched from downtown Sisters. When the AED was placed on the patient, it indicated a shock should be delivered. Personnel defibril- lated the patient and contin- ued CPR. Shortly after the CPR resumed, Pond began to breathe on his own and the responders could feel a pulse. Shortly after that, “the cavalry” arrived in the form of the ambulance crew and other units from Sisters, with eight more personnel and the capability to admin- ister advanced life-saving techniques. Pond was transported by the Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD ambulance to a heli- copter landing zone near the scene. The patient was trans- ferred to LifeFlight person- nel who treated the patient as he was flown to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. Pond not only survived his ordeal, he is thriving. He told The Nugget that he is “98 percent back to nor- mal — and I’ve lost about 20 pounds, which doesn’t hurt anything.” Chief Johnson presented Morrell and Kunzman with Citizen Life Saving Awards for their quick action that helped pull their friend back from the brink. Johnson told The Nugget, “This is a textbook example how bystander CPR and pro- fessional rescuers with an AED can save a life.” (See sidebar.) Fire District Board President Chuck Newport told the assemblage that the district’s personnel train hard and work hard. “Tonight we get to see how that pays off,” he said. The ceremony brought home the extensive and intri- cate web of personnel and capabilities required to save a life at the ragged edge of in extremis. There were Deschutes County 9-1-1 call-takers Christina Rodenbiker and Sara Cima, and dispatcher Steve Ward, who also vol- unteers with the district. And there was a LifeFlight helicopter crew and an emer- gency room staff that ensured that the first responders’ suc- cess would be sustained. From the Sisters depart- ment, Chief Johnson rec- ognized the crew of Engine 723, the first on the scene: Captain Doug Myers; volun- teer firefighter Roy Dean and volunteer firefighter Mike McLaughlin, who was pre- sented with a special medal for his efforts. The ambulance crew of Unit 771: Fire Medics Matt Millar; Pat Burke; and Lt. Cody Manzi, along with vol- unteer firefighters and EMTs Christi Davis and Graham MacDonald were also recog- nized, along with the crew of Unit 791: Shift Commander Thornton Brown; volunteer firefighter EMT Andrew Blake. Deputy Chief Tim Craig was also recognized. The evening stirred emo- tions in many of the attend- ees, in part because it is surprisingly unusual for a lifesaving crew to get the opportunity to meet with and receive the gratitude of someone whose life they saved. It may be all in a day’s work, but it’s a day’s work that carries profound significance for everyone involved. CPr can be critical life-saver Ed Pond’s friends helped to save his life when he col- lapsed in cardiac arrest last April (see story, page 1). Sisters Fire Chief Roger Johnson says that knowl- edge of CPR is a critical skill that can mean the differ- ence between life and death. In fact, effective bystander CPR can double a person’s chances of survival. About 75-80 percent of out-of-hospital heart attacks occur at home, so knowledge o CPR may save a loved one’s life. CPR help maintains vital blood flow to the heart and brain and increases the amount of time that elec- tric shock from a defibril- lator can be effective. In sudden cardiac arrest, the victim collapses, becomes unresponsive to gentle shak- ing, stops normal breath- ing and after two “rescue breaths” still isn’t breath- ing normally, coughing or moving. Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after car- diac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs. Sudden cardiac arrest is lethal; about 95 people who go into sudden cardiac arrest die before reaching the hos- pital. Death is not inevitable, however. If more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved, according to the American Heart Association. The Sisters fire district offers basic CPR classes on a monthly basis. For infor- mation call 541-549-0771 or register online at www. sistersfire.com — click CPR. n i g n i s i t r e v Ad ! s k r o W t e g T h e Nug “Th e Nugget has partnered with us since day one. Every time we want to get the word out, Th e Nugget delivers. And, everybody — everybody — reads it. How do we know? People come in Wednesday morning just to read it, because it’s delivered here before their mailbox. 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