Redmond Fire & Rescue, Deschutes County 911 honor 2 women for life-saving efforts

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – One of those happy occasions for Redmond Fire & Rescue happened this week, as the wife and sister of an Eagle Crest man were given life-saving awards for their key roles in helping save his life after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during Christmas Eve dinner.

Last Dec. 24, Sam Wooldridge was having dinner with his wife, Gwen, and sister, Charlotte when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, Redmond Fire EMS Captain Dustin Miller said.

Charlotte quickly called 911, and Deschutes County Public Safety Dispatcher Megan Happ provided both women with instructions on how to perform CPR until Redmond Fire & Rescue medics could arrive, Miller said.

From that point, the paramedics provided advanced cardiac life support, and eventually were able to regain a pulse, he said. Wolldridge was taken to St. Charles Bend and has made a full recovery.

Wooldridge was on hand, along with his wife and sister, on Wednesday when Deschutes County 911 and Redmond Fire & Rescue honored the two women for their efforts to help save his life that evening.

Miller noted that there are more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the U.S. – and nearly 90% of them are fatal, according to the American Heart Association’s new Heart and Stroke Statistics.

“Early recognition and early CPR can double or triple the chances of survival after a cardiac arrest,” Miller said.