If you were on your way to work and saw someone collapse, would you know what to do? Medical emergencies can happen in the blink of an eye, turning your morning commute into the fight to save a life.
“Those moments after a collapse are critical. It all starts with early CPR and calling 911 as quickly as possible,” said Marysville Fire District Chief Martin McFalls. CPR saves lives: MPD Assistant Chief, DFW officer pull over to help collapsed construction worker Marysville Police Assistant Chief Jim Lawless was driving along 196th Street in Lynnwood on the morning of April 11, heading into work early that day for his first day back from vacation, when he saw a construction worker running toward what looked like a pile of clothes.
“When I pulled over to see what was going on I realized that pile of clothes was actually a person collapsed on the ground,” said Assistant Chief Lawless. As Assistant Chief Lawless started the Chain of Survival, calling in for medical emergency on his radio, Department of Fish and Wildlife Officer Owen Barabasz pulled over to see how he could help.
“I used to work as an Emergency Medical Technician,” said Officer Barabasz. “When you see emergency lights your instincts just kick in.” The two took turns applying chest compressions until firefighter medics arrived. “The construction worker was completely unresponsive. I wasn’t sure if he was going to come back,” said Assistant Chief Lawless. South County Fire firefighters arrived on the scene within minutes, taking over CPR and applying an AED (automated external defibrillator) to regulate the construction worker’s heart. After several rounds of CPR and shocks from the AED, the construction worker started showing signs of life and was transported to the hospital. That same day, Assistant Chief Lawless was told the construction worker was breathing on his own.
“I think this just shows the importance and the value of CPR. No matter how confident you are in performing those lifesaving measures, anything is better than nothing,” said Assistant Chief Lawless.