We hope we never need them, but when we do—first responders are there to help in our times of crisis. That’s exactly what happened in two recent incidents, where first responders came to the rescue, saving the lives of two Mesquite residents. During last week’s City Council meeting, Fire Chief Keith Hopkins announced the Fire Department Awards, and honored those responding to two near-fatal incidents with Lifesaving Awards.
Lieutenant Royce Cartwright received the Officer of the Year award; Firefighter / Paramedic Jesse Boone received the Paramedic of the Year award; Driver / Engineer Jeremy Heiner received the Firefighter of the Year award; and Captain Jesse Kingery, Captain Jacob Heise, Driver / Engineer Justin Turner, and Debbie Randall all received the Annual Excellence award.
The first lifesaving incident involved an unconscious adult at a construction site. When the Firefighters and Paramedics arrived, they took over CPR efforts from Mesquite Police Officers on scene, and began defibrillation. A quick analysis determined there was a high risk for a severe heart attack, and crews alerted the hospital en route. The patient regained consciousness, and after surgery and a brief stay in ICU, returned home to recover.
For this incident, Lieutenant Bobby Bryant, Driver / Engineer David Bates, Firefighter / Paramedics Andrew Durham, and Caleb Pollard, as well as the Ambulance crew, Alex Craig and Ben Hanley were all awarded Lifesaving Awards for the quick and careful actions to keep their patient alive.
The second lifesaving incident involved a much younger patient—this one was four months old, and had only three weeks earlier been diagnosed with a congenital heart condition. When crews arrived, the infant was on the floor, with the parent using a defibrillator and performing CPR. The first responders acted quickly, taking over defibrillations and CPR en route to the hospital, where the infant was soon transferred to a pediatric specialty center. After having a Pacemaker installed, staying a while in ICU, and finally being released from the hospital, the tiny Mesquite resident is alive and doing well.
Crews responding to this incident included: Captain Justin James, Driver / Engineer Michael Glasgow, Firefighter / Paramedic Chris Thomas, Firefighter / EMT Ethan Williams, and on the ambulance, Firefighter / Paramedics Connor Tobias, and Ray Sewell—all received the Lifesaving Award for their swift and skillful response that saved the small child.