Congratulations to Firefighters Mark Jones, Stewart Walton, Crew Manager Glen McCloy and Watch Manager David Newton from High Handenhold Green Watch who have been honoured with a certificate of appreciation for performing life-saving resuscitation to a casualty whilst attending a road traffic collision.
Watch Manager Newton, Crew Manager McCloy and firefighter Walton were all presented with their certificates by Chief Fire Officer Stuart Errington recently. On the 18th of July 2021, the crew were mobilised to a road traffic collision after a vehicle had collided with a lamp post at high speed. On arrival the driver and passenger were both already out of the vehicle and there were no other emergency services were present. The passenger had minor bruising and the driver was suffering from chest pains from the airbag and seatbelt, however he also suffered from Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the collision had happened due to the driver having a dizzy spell.
The crew monitored the condition of both casualties whilst waiting for an ambulance to arrive. After initial surveys had been carried out, both seemed to be stable at the time. However within minutes the driver lost consciousness and stopped breathing resulting in them going into cardiac arrest. Firefighter Mark Jones took swift action in placing the casualty into position to commence lifesaving actions. The Officer in charge also instructed the crew to commence CPR. This was led by Firefighter Mark Jones alongside Crew manager Glen McCloy and firefighter Stewart Walton and went on for several minutes whilst the Officer in charge chased up the ETA of the ambulance due to the significant change at the incident.
The defibrillator was utilised, but no shocks were given to the casualty, however it was used until it found a rhythm, just as the ambulance arrived on scene. Watch Manager Newton then gave a handover to paramedics and Firefighter Mark Jones also gave a full and concise medical handover to ensure a swift transition into the paramedic’s care. Both crews worked together until the casualty was stabilised enough to be taken to hospital. Thankfully the casualty did regain consciousness and he was transported to Sunderland royal hospital.
Stuart Errington, Chief Fire Officer from CDDFRS said “I am extremely proud of the job our crews do, day in, day out, 365 days of the year. There is no doubt in my mind that Green Watch’s professional, swift and decisive action ultimately saved a life”.
