First Aid Corps

JOSE “Kenny” Martinez owes his life to his friends, to Glenreagh’s volunteer Community First Responders (CFR) and to a quick-thinking publican.

Jose Kenny Martinez the Survivor

The Wells Crossing man had a heart attack while he was having lunch at Glenreagh’s Golden Dog Hotel on January 16 last year.

Fortunately a team of four CFR volunteers was just five minutes away, having just returned from attending a motorcycle accident.

Publican Warren Dean had already phoned the ambulance to report one of his customers was having chest pains.

CFR volunteers Unice McPherson, retired paramedic Geoff Hicks, Judith Hanson and Steve Green performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on Mr Martinez and delivered electric shocks to his heart with a defibrillator until the ambulance arrived, stabilised the patient and rushed him to Coffs Harbour Health Campus.

Mr Martinez has since been fitted with a pacemaker and is now in good health, but he’ll never be able to return to his trade or to the punishing work schedule that almost ended his life.

“There’s a computer in there (pacemaker) that tells them what I’ve been doing so I can’t lie, he said

The CFR team earned his gratitude, so too his friends Suzanne Young, Rod Forrest and Lee-Anne Johnston.

“My friends got me out of the property and told me I was working too much,” Kenny said. “They took me to the pub for lunch – otherwise I’d have carked it in my shed.”

Up until his heart attack, the tall, fit 47-year-old boilermaker and welder also operated a portable mill business on his own and was so focused on developing his business and his property he never stopped working.

He said yesterday he had “only just come good” after 10 trips to Sydney for a series of operations.

“I’ve been to hell and back,” he said.

“I keep thinking I’m going to get another shock.”

We will be reporting on lives saved around the world since our first documented life saved here in Singapore.

Victor Quick was at Antioch Baptist Church on March 1 when he “fell out.”

Quick is the city of Graham’s utilities director. Members of the church and some who were also members of the White Cross Fire Department leapt into action, performing CPR.

That immediate action was credited with saving Quick’s life.

On Tuesday, the city council issued proclamations honoring the 12 people who “participated in saving Victor Quick’s life.” They included David Atwater, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church; Kay Hammond, church member; Jerry Lloyd, church member and chief of the White Cross Fire Department; Warren Atwater, deputy chief and church member; Greg Tilley and Robert Smith, retired from White Cross and church members; Jeff Mooney, captain and Jason Andrews, lieutenant at White Cross; and first responders David Nichols, Tony Blake, Karen Durham and Chris Miller. Miller was in church that morning to be baptized.

“The doctor says there was no damage to my heart,” Quick said and then joshed, “even with a broken sternum and four ribs” from treatment.

Quick said he was in a controlled coma for a few days and credited the defibrillators with saving his life.

Lloyd said the first responders used a defibrillator three times on Quick to get a response.

We will be reporting on lives saved around the world since our first documented life saved here in Singapore.

Suffolk County police say the 37-year-old had no pulse when they were called to help him at about 6:40 p.m. Sunday at Mill Dam Park in Huntington.

Officers Ryan West, Timothy Tonkin, Anthony Iadevaio and Robert Musial used a defibrillator and performed CPR, with help from Huntington Community First Aid Squad volunteer Chris Winter.

The man began breathing on his own and was taken to Huntington Hospital.

No update on his condition was immediately available late Sunday.

It isn’t clear why he collapsed.

Suffolk police patrol cars are generally equipped with defibrillators.

We will be reporting on lives saved around the world since our first documented life saved here in Singapore.

From left to right, Scott Kroeplien, Milton Rowe, Chris Wesendorf, Bob Kroeplien and Brian Walvort of the Town of Sheboygan Falls First Responders

On July 17, 2008, about 11 a.m., Robert Kroeplien, Scott Kroeplien, Milton Rowe, Brian Walvort and Chris Wesendorf of the Town of Sheboygan Falls First Responders were called to the scene of a Sheboygan man who was in serious cardiac trouble.

The men immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation and operated as a life-saving team realizing that an automated external defibrillator machine would be needed to reset the rhythm of Campbell’s heart into motion and ultimately save his life.

Thanks to their efforts, and a quick response time from the local EMS department, the cardiac arrest victim, Campbell survived.

The four recently earned the title of American Heartsaver superheroes.

“The American Heart Association is proud to honor these heroes and survivors of sudden cardiac arrest,” said Katie Connolly, manager of the American Heart Association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care Programs in Wisconsin, in a press release.

“These individuals are ordinary people who used a few simple skills to achieve something extraordinary — they saved lives.”

We will be reporting on lives saved around the world since our first documented life saved here in Singapore.

Hadden Graham Saved

Hadden Graham, 55, who is the former treasurer and chairman of Marlborough Rugby Club, was in charge of the Dorset and Wiltshire League match at Westbury Sports Centre when he collapsed after 35 minutes. 

Westbury players Paul Jones, who works as a nurse, and Matt Inseal, a trained first responder, used a defibrillator and carried out CPR on the pitch.

The Wiltshire Air Ambulance arrived at the scene at about 3.30pm and took the Marlborough man to the Royal United Hospital in Bath.

County president of the Dorset and Wiltshire RFU, Ron Jones, whose son was one of the players to give first aid to Mr Graham, said: “The club are very pleased and proud with the way the two players acted.

“Although it was my son who was involved I don’t know much about the incident because I haven’t spoken to him as he’s just returned from his honeymoon. All I know is that my son and his team-mate performed CPR on the man before the air ambulance arrived.

“Its just one of those things. I’ve never heard of a referee or player suffering a heart attack on the pitch but I’m sure it has happened before.

Charlie Sheppy, Marlborough Rugby Club Chairman, is a close friend of Mr Graham. He said: “Thank God there was a medic on the pitch playing and he knew there was a defibrillator at the Westbury Leisure Centre and they administered CPR and got his heart going again.”

But on Monday Mr Sheppy said: “I understand he is now awake and aware of what is going on around him.”