New Hampshire | Seeking nominations for outstanding acts of courage by career and volunteer fire & EMS personnel
Concord | 10 Jan 2012
NOMINATION PROCEDURES
1. A typed letter on proper organization letterhead from (a) Chief of Fire Department of designee; (b) head of a recognized fire/emergency service organization or union; (c) Town or City Manager, Mayor, Selectman, etc. The letter is to describe the action and circumstances leading to the action. It must be a detailed report of what happened, including the type of emergency, time of day, date, and a description of conditions which made the event hazardous, dangerous or unusual.
2. Nominee(s)’ name, mailing address, home and work telephone, fire department or organization, and rank must be included in the letter.
3. All paid, call, and volunteer firefighters or emergency service personnel are eligible; also, awards may be made posthumously.
4. Include any pertinent newspaper clippings, photographs, or videos, as well as a listing of any other awards the nominee(s) received.
Deadline: January 31, 2012
Mail to:
NH Fire Service Committee of Merit
Stacey DeVol, Secretary
33 Hazen Drive
Concord NH 03305
Any Questions: Contact Stacey at 603-223-4200 ext. 31008 or stacey.devol@dos.nh.gov
Online at: nh-com.org
New Hampshire | Celebrating a life saved in Alton
Concord NH | Jim Riley is an independent person. He and his friends describe him as ‘living off the grid.’ He takes care of his family without services from utility companies. He is self sufficient and proud of the life he leads.
On Thursday, December 1st at 12:43 PM, however, he found himself at the center of a medical emergency which involved an entire community.
Jim had been feeling a bit ‘off’ for a few days prior. He attributed his symptoms to an injury he had sustained in the past. His co-worker, Lynn Shull, was working with Jim on a roofing job in Alton. She recognized he was struggling, but not ‘down and out.’ She kept a close eye on him as they moved slowly with the tasks at hand when all of a sudden Jim collapsed.
Lynn immediately called 9-1-1 from her cell phone. “A friend of mine has fallen over and he’s not responding to me,” she told 9-1-1 Dispatcher Joyce Jastrem. “He’s purple, what do I do,” she pleaded with Joyce.
Although New Hampshire 9-1-1 utilizes a sophisticated location software to locate callers, cell calls aren’t pin point accurate. Lynn, who was acutely aware of her surroundings, quickly provided the street name and a landmark nearby for emergency responders to find her.
Joyce asked Lynn to check Jim’s breathing; he wasn’t breathing.
Immediately, Joyce contacted local dispatcher, Jeff Tobine at Lakes Region Mutual Aid and he dispatched the ambulance to the location Lynn had provided.
Joyce began Emergency Medical Dispatch procedures, scripted life saving medical instructions. “I’m going to tell you how to help him,” she assured Lynn. Lynn started chest compressions; “1 – 2 – 3 – 4″ Joyce kept a steady, even pace for Lynn to follow.
Not long after, two passers-by stopped to help.
Brett Kimball was driving by and recognized that Jim was in dire straits. Brett stopped, picked up the cell phone to talk with Joyce as his co-worker, Dave Elwell, took over compressions from a very exhausted Lynn.
“Come on buddy – you can do it – we’re here,” Brett shouted to an unconscious Jim.
Alton Fire/Rescue arrived on scene and assumed care. The crew defibrillated Jim and immediately had a viable heart rhythm. Alton rescuers packaged Jim into the ambulance and began transport to Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro.
By protocol, Paramedic Janet Williamson from Huggins Hospital intercepted the ambulance and provided advanced life saving attention. Jim was eventually airlifted to Dartmouth Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Jim had a 100% blockage in one of his arteries. Surgeons implanted a stent and, miraculously, Jim was recuperating at home in just one week. He is doing well and his prognosis is good. Jim is a very lucky man.
When asked about his ordeal, Jim said the outcome would have been very different if the emergency had occurred at home where he cannot receive a cell signal. “Fortunately, I wasn’t home when this happened,” Jim acknowledged.
He’ll be spending the holidays with family and friends thanks to an efficient emergency response from all who were involved.
“I want to show my appreciation,” he said.
Lynn Shull summed up her experience with Jim’s 9-1-1 emergency with this thought; “You can make a difference.”
Jim’s friends and family hope his experience will inspire the public to learn CPR and encourage local public safety and civic organizations to offer CPR courses.
The American Heart Association promotes early access in all aspects of cardiac emergencies to improve chances of survival and recovery for victims of heart attack and stroke. The “Chain of Survival” supports immediate recognition of cardiac arrest and activation of the emergency response system (9-1-1 caller), early CPR with an emphasis on chest compressions (9-1-1 Dispatcher), rapid defibrillation (Alton Fire/Rescue), effective advanced life support (Huggins Hospital) and integrated post-cardiac arrest care (Dartmouth Medical Center).
This emergency perfectly illustrates how all the parts of the whole came together in a continuum of care to save Jim’s life.
New Hampshire | DEC declares Air Quality Action Day
Concord NH | The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) is expecting air pollution concentrations to reach unhealthy levels for sensitive individuals in populated valley areas in southwestern New Hampshire, especially in Keene, on Wednesday, December 14, and Thursday, December 15. DES officials are calling for an Air Quality Action Day and advise sensitive individuals in these areas to take precautions to protect their health by limiting prolonged exertion. Sensitive individuals include children, older adults, and anyone with heart or lung disease such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis. Even healthy individuals may experience mild health effects and should consider limiting strenuous or prolonged activities.
DES forecasts concentrations of fine particle pollution to be unhealthy for sensitive individuals in the above-mentioned region. The expected unhealthy particle pollution levels are a combined result of pollution transported from surrounding areas and locally generated pollutants. The cold, calm air and temperature inversions limit air movement and trap pollutants in valley areas. Much of this pollution is emitted from heating devices, especially residential wood burning stoves and boilers, and gets trapped and concentrated near the ground. Communities located in valleys or other low-lying areas where temperature inversions are common are more strongly affected. Wind speeds are expected to increase on Thursday which will result in better mixing and cleaner air.
The severity of the health effects increases as fine particle concentrations increase. Symptoms of particle pollution exposure for people with heart disease may include chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, and fatigue. People with asthma and other existing lung diseases may not be able to breathe as deeply or vigorously as normal and may experience symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath. In addition to harmful health effects, fine particle pollution may create hazy conditions that reduce visibility.
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