Salem Fire Chief Honors Citizens with Lifesaving Awards
(SALEM, Ore) — Salem Fire Chief Mike Niblock met with employees of the Pioneer Trust Bank in downtown Salem, Oregon on February 5, 2015 to recognize their lifesaving actions during a recent medical emergency at their business.
On January 2, employees from the Pioneer Trust Bank called 9-1-1 to report one of their customers was in cardiac arrest. The customer, a 78 year old man, was conducting business in the bank when he suddenly collapsed. Bank employee Samantha Howell, who is also a volunteer paramedic with the Keizer Fire District, immediately started CPR. She also directed staff members at the bank to use the automatic external defibrillator (AED) that was in place at the bank while emergency responders from the Salem Fire Department and Rural Metro Ambulance were en route to the life-threatening emergency.
With the help of coworkers, Mary Ann Vansend, Kellie Alexander, John Willburn, Lisa Edmiston, Marianne Alexander, and Pilar Olivera, Ms. Howell was able to perform CPR and successfully defibrillate the victim, restoring his pulse and breathing within three minutes. Emergency responders arrived and continued patient care, transporting the patient to Salem Hospital where he underwent cardiac surgery and was later released.
Chief Niblock met with the bank employees and presented letters of commendation and Salem Fire challenge coins, acknowledging their life-saving actions and teamwork. Chief Niblock also recognized Pioneer Trust Bank for their demonstrated commitment to community safety by maintaining an AED and training their employees in CPR. Niblock highlighted the bank employee's actions as a part of the chain of survival in a cardiac emergency. "Immediate recognition of the emergency, coupled with quick 9-1-1 notification, early CPR, and early defibrillation, are foundational in the survival of cardiac arrest" said Chief Niblock.
The Salem Fire Department serves a population of 188,000 residents, responding to nearly 20,000 calls to 9-1-1 each year, including approximately 90 sudden cardiac arrests. The department recently launched the PulsePoint smartphone application with six other area fire departments to provide real time lifesaving information and AED locations throughout the community. More information related to PulsePoint can be found at the Salem Fire Department website http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/Fire/Pages/SalemAreaPulsePoint.aspx.
The life saving actions taken by the Pioneer Trust Bank employees falls in line with the objectives of the recently formed Salem Fire Foundation, a new nonprofit group dedicated to assisting the Salem Fire Department achieve its core mission of saving lives. The Salem Fire Foundation provides assistance by funding community outreach programs in CPR and AED training.
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops abruptly without warning. After each minute that passes in such an event, the victim's chance of survival decreases by 10 percent. "Sudden cardiac arrest accounts for 383,000 deaths in America each year," Niblock said.
In 2014, the city of Salem experienced a 41.2 percent save rate for sudden cardiac arrest. The fire department and foundation's future goal is to see that save rate rise to 65 percent. "I know this community has the right mix of people to achieve the highest save rate in the nation," Niblock said. "We have a lot of work to do to achieve this goal, but I know it's possible."
