HURRICANE — A medical incident in Hurricane in April had the potential for a tragic ending when a woman called 911 after her husband collapsed.
Due to their actions set forth by that call, two residents were awarded Life Saving Awards and medals from Hurricane Police Chief Lynn Excell at Thursday’s city council meeting.
According to a press release, just after 2 p.m. on April 19, St. George Consolidated Communications Center received a call from a citizen in Hurricane reporting that her husband collapsed and was not breathing.
Operator Savanna Bird, who is currently in training, answered the call, obtained the address and dispatched medical personnel within 16 seconds.
“With the cooperation and determination from the calling party, Savanna was able to give direct and concise CPR instructions while responders were simultaneously en route,” the release stated. “Hurricane Officer Todd O’Bray was the first on scene but also had with him his department-issued AED.”
“The Hurricane Valley Fire District EMTs arrived on the scene and delivered a second shock, resulting in the patient regaining a pulse,” Hurricane City Councilman Dave Sanders said in the meeting. “The patient was transported to St. George Regional Medical Center and was awake and talking to the transporting crew prior to his arrival at the hospital.”
The Drudings were both present at the awards ceremony for Bird and O’Bray with huge smiles while posing for photos — and hugs afterward.
According to the news release, statistically, people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests have a survival rate of less than 6 percent. Additionally, cardiac arrests that are addressed with CPR and ventricular fibrillation, via an AED, within 3 minutes of the patient collapsing have a survival rate of 74%.
“The efficiency, dedication and determination from all involved in this incident — including the patient’s wife — improved Mr. Drudings’ chance of survival.”
St. George Consolidated Communications Center Manager Justin Grenier told St. George News that the first hour after a heart attack or stroke is the most critical.
“The longer it takes for the patient to get to the hospital, the less likely they are to survive,” he noted of Bird’s 16-second response time. “Our role is to respond as quickly and efficiently as possible — she did that.”
Bird started working for the communications center that handles 911 calls for every law enforcement agency in Washington County just two months before the incident she was awarded for, Grenier added.
“When things like this happen there is not a lot of light shed on first responders and our call center staff,” he said. “Policemen and firemen are honored when they perform something heroic, but it’s pretty rare for a dispatcher to get recognized.”
When asked how Bird handled the situation in terms of a performance evaluation, Grenier stated he has photo evidence for yearly assessments.
“If you’re looking for a grade, look at the photo from the council meeting,” he said. “That happy couple would not be standing there if not for the efforts of the dispatcher and the policeman that arrived. It’s refreshing to see someone honor them, to let them know that what they did mattered.”
In other police-related news, Excell informed the town’s administration that Hurricane Police Department vehicles are now equipped with both rear and front-facing cameras.
The cameras record continuously, giving supervisors the ability to monitor officers from headquarters. When activating the record feature, the video starts saving 30 seconds of video prior to the officer activating.
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