By Kim Dunlap
Kokomo Tribune
The life of a first responder on a medical call can be hectic, with each second that ticks by often balancing the line between life and death.
Such was the case last month.
Around 5:30 a.m. Jan 23, Howard County dispatcher Blake Mendenhall received a 911 call from a woman saying her husband was experiencing a cardiac episode.
The man then became unconscious and unresponsive, prompting Mendenhall to walk the man’s wife via the phone through the stages of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
At the same time, Kokomo Fire Department firefighters Capt. Mike McKibben, Mike Westbrook and Josh Schaeffer, as well as Ascension St. Vincent paramedic Collin Byam and EMT Tara Hamilton, raced to the man’s residence.
Upon arriving on scene, the first responders took over CPR and began defibrillating the man in order to regain his pulse.
A few frantic minutes ticked by.
Then suddenly, success.
The man’s heart began to beat again.
And after additional treatment at an area hospital, he got to go home to his family.
Flash forward to Thursday evening.
As part of a special ceremony inside Kokomo Fire Department Station 1, those six first responders were honored for their roles that day.
Each first responder received a lifesaving award certificate, and the three firefighters also received a lifesaving pin they will be able to wear on their uniforms.
And while the six say it’s all just part of doing their job, their actions that day were heroic, Ryan Mix, EMS Relationship Manager at Ascension St. Vincent Kokomo, told the Tribune.
“We try to look for instances where public safety work together in our community, and this is a great example,” he said. “From our 911 center to the Kokomo Fire Department and then our paramedics with (Ascension) St. Vincent, we were able to work really well together on a cardiac arrest patient and were able to help that person survive.”
And it’s that collaboration that Mix said is such an important component when it comes to the work that first responders do on a daily basis.
“Every link in that chain of survival is important,” he said. “It’s nice to recognize them and thank them, because a lot of the work is thankless. So it’s just about showing people how what we do every single day does make a difference and make a good outcome for our community.”
KFD Chief Paul Edwards agreed.
“Everything came together,” he said, referring to the January incident. “All the training came together. … On this job, if you do something 10 times, you’re just scratching the surface. If you do it 100 times, it’s starting to become second nature. And when you do it 500 times, you know it like the back of your hand.
“The opportunity was there,” he added. “They took advantage of it, and they saved somebody’s life. It’s humble greatness is what it is.”
But Jan. 23 also highlighted something else, Mix and Edwards said, the importance of CPR.
And since most cardiac episodes that require CPR happen outside of a hospital setting, according to the American Heart Association, CPR performed by a bystander, such as the man’s wife in this case, is an important tool to have.
“Say somebody goes into cardiac arrest,” Mix said. “If we can have a bystander start CPR, their (those experiencing cardiac issues) chances of survival goes up two to three times versus if there’s no CPR. Our dispatch center actually has the medical training, so they’re able to work that caller through every step of patient care until the fire department and ambulance can get there.
“This case is proof that it (bystander CPR) works,” he added. “And I would just say that we need to continue to highlight the importance of our community members becoming CPR certified. Anything we as a community can do to help each other out and bridge that gap is huge.”
McKibben, who told the Tribune he was honored to receive the lifesaving award but shies away from the public recognition, echoed Mix’s sentiments.
“Every minute, every second, that’s lifesaving time,” he said. “This is a badge of honor, and it’s something I’m awful proud to be a part of, but it highlights an even greater thing. That’s the importance of CPR. And his wife was right there. She witnessed everything, and she jumped right in. So she deserves a lot of credit for that good outcome too.”
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