Deschutes Co. workers save man’s life with CPR, AED
Deschutes County officials revealed Wednesday that Community Development Department workers used their CPR training and an automated external defibrillator machine to save a man’s life earlier this month.
Here’s the county’s news release on the incident:
On Thursday, November 7 at approximately 10:15 a.m., a regular customer (contractor) of the Deschutes County Community Development Department (CDD) was driving southbound on the parkway with a friend.
The friend (in the passenger seat) became seriously ill from a medical issue, became unconscious and non-responsive while the truck was in motion.
The car was near the La Fayette exit and the driver, knowing that he needed to call 9-1-1, got off the parkway and pulled into the CDD parking lot because he knew staff in the building and felt confident they could help. He came into the building after calling 9-1-1 to see if staff had an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machine.
Permit Technician Martha Shields ran to get the AED while the contractor was on the phone with 9-1-1.
Permit Technician Judy Hackett alerted Building Inspector Randy Scheid, who alerted Code Enforcement Technicians John Griley and Tim Grundeman, that assistance was needed immediately. CDD Administrative Manager Lori Furlong heard the request for the AED and proceeded outside to help.
John, Tim, Randy and Lori helped get the man out of the truck and lay him flat on the ground. Deschutes County contract daycare provider Munchkin Manor employee Dana Laite saw the commotion and immediately began performing CPR on the man, taking turns with John. Bend Police arrived on scene and used the AED as EMS (Bend Fire Department) arrived. After quite some time, EMS stabilized the man and transported him to St. Charles Medical Center.
EMS and Bend PD both credited the efforts of the immediate CPR the man received by CDD staff and having the AED device, in saving the man’s life. They were very impressed that Dana and CDD staff responded immediately with CPR care, instead of merely waiting for EMS to arrive on the scene.
The driver/companion to the ill man stopped into CDD offices later the same day to commend all who helped in the emergency, and said that his friend was still alive and in the hospital. Soon after his hospitalization, the man/patient was released from St. Charles Medical Center and is doing very well.
AED’s in every Deschutes County building…In 2004 Commissioner Mike Daly proposed to Risk Management staff that a program should begin to equip all Deschutes County’s facilities with automated external defibrillators. After providing the commissioners with a plan and estimates, $10,000 per year was allocated for this project and Risk began purchasing AED’s in 2005 and completed the project in 2012.
Fast-forward to 2013 – there is an AED on each floor of every building owned and occupied by Deschutes County staff. Currently, Risk manages an inventory of 34 AED’s. This does not count all of the AED’s that the Sheriff’s Office has in their facilities and in their patrol vehicles. Now AED’s are included in all new Deschutes County construction projects.
