13 local first responders receive ROSC award

Thursday, August 12, 2021
Less than three months since cardiac arrest nearly ended his life, Tony Robertson (right) gives a hug to Zach Rhine, one of 13 local first responders who helped save Robertson on that May afternoon.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

Teamwork and community investment in lifesaving technology saved a Greencastle man’s life this spring.

Recently, 13 Putnam County first responders received ROSC awards for their respective roles in bringing a pulse back to a 58-year-old man who had experienced cardiac arrest.

ROSC stands for “return of spontaneous circulation,” which ultimately means that the patient’s heart again starts beating on its own.

Putnam County EMS Deputy Chief Anthony Taylor explained a little more about the award before introducing the 13 honorees.

“We award this when someone gets discharged neurologically intact,” Taylor said. “That means they are able to walk, talk, they go home. They may have some deficits because obviously their heart was not beating for a little while. But overall, they’re able to have a good life.”

Taylor added that this is no small accomplishment, as the survival rate beyond one month after cardiac arrest is between 8 and 16 percent, depending on part of the country.

He added that this is the second of three successful incidents for local first responders in 2021.

In this case, those involved include Putnam County 911 dispatchers Lacey Helmer and Karly Hudson; Greencastle Police officers Sgt. Ed Wilson, Darrel Bunten, Zach Rhine and Jason Norman; Greencastle Fire Department firefighters Capt. Kenny Shepherd, Jonathan Hawkins, Jonny Newgent, Daniel Hendry and Chaplain Donnie Watson; and EMT Martha Miller and Paramedic Kylee Harrington of Putnam County EMS.

Having received the ROSC award for bringing a patient back from cardiac arrest, 11 first responders surround patient Tony Robertson and his wife Tami (center). Those present for the award were (from left) Kylee Harrington, Martha Miller, Darrel Bunten, Karly Hudson, Lacey Helmer, Zach Rhine Tony and Tami Robertson, Ed Wilson, Jonny Newgent, Donnie Watson, Daniel Hendry and Jonathan Hawkins. Those not present but receiving the award were Jason Norman and Kenny Shepherd.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

“We look at this thing called the Chain of Survival,” Taylor explained. “It all starts with that first 911 phone call. That 911 phone call sets an entire chain of reaction into place. It is going to get CPR started, as long as that caller is able to do it.

“It gets defibrillators out there,” he continued. “Our law enforcement units and our firefighters all have AEDs. It gets that ambulance moving so we can get advanced life support to them. If we do get them back and we get pulses, we can get them to the hospital so they can get whatever treatment is necessary.”

He explained how vital each link in the chain is.

“Any break in this chain is going to definitively result in death,” Taylor said. “If we have a smooth chain moving forward, we increase the chance of survival.”

When it came time for EMS Chief Kelly Russ to hand out the awards, the patient Tony Robertson, previously only mentioned as “a 58-year-old male,” stepped forward and said, “I’m 58-year-old male.”

Robertson then joined Russ as each responder was given a certificate, a pin and — probably best of all — a bear hug from the man they helped save.

The design of the ROSC pin awarded locally changed recently, and Taylor explained why.

“Every single person that touches this life causes a little ripple. And the ripples grow. It grows into a big life-saving wave,” Taylor said. “It may seem dumb, but every single one of you actually plays a huge effect in the survival of a patient. So the ROSC pin style is now actually the shape of a heart with little waves on it.”

The incident with Robertson actually happened on May 22, with his wife Tami calling 911 Dispatch at 2:48 p.m., at which point Helmer instructed her on administering “bystander CPR,” while Hudson dispatched crews to the scene by 2:50 p.m.

The PCEMS crew of Harrington and Miller arrived at 2:55 p.m. to find police already there performing chest compressions. The EMS crew found the patient to be in a shockable heart rhythm, which they defibrillated, and continued CPR until the LUCAS device was applied which then continued mechanical CPR.

The county has LUCAS devices in place thanks to an investment of COVID-19 relief funds in 2020.

The crews then administered medications that are standard in cardiac arrest, intubated him (allowing the crew to breath for him) and only 19 minutes after the call was dispatched, Robertson’s pulse returned.

PCEMS then transferred the Robertson to Putnam County Hospital, where he was then flown by StatFlight to a hospital with cath lab capabilities to further treat the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest.

PCEMS Chief Kelly Russ shared with the Banner Graphic her pride not only in her own responders, but the collaborative effort that makes such success stories possible.

“This was a collaborative effort and a wave of events between PC911, GFD, GPD and PCEMS that allowed Mr. Robertson and his wife to stand there with us during that presentation,” Russ said. “As the chief of the service, I could not be more proud of not only PCEMS’ crews and Deputy Chief Taylor, who makes sure the daily operations of our agency runs as smoothly as it does, but I am also proud of the heart and dedication of every first responder in this county.

“Without them, our County Commissioners, the County Council and an amazingly supportive community, PCEMS would not be where we are at today since its inception on Jan. 1, 2020.”

Tami and Tony Robertson look on in admiration of the first responders who saved his life.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN
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  • What an inspiring story! So happy for Tony and Tami and their family. Miracles happen when we least expect them. Praise the Lord for the individuals involved and for all of the training, equipment and funding that is necessary for an event of this type to have a positive outcome.

    -- Posted by rawinger on Fri, Aug 13, 2021, at 5:12 AM
  • Jared. Voted STORY OF THE YEAR!! Such an inspiring article.

    -- Posted by Nit on Fri, Aug 13, 2021, at 1:50 PM
  • Thanking all the first responders for all the dedicated work they do. Very happy for Mr. Robertson that he is doing well. Great job!!

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Sat, Aug 14, 2021, at 9:58 AM
  • Such a great outcome for wonderful people!! Thank you all for your chosen profession!

    -- Posted by chicki1112 on Sat, Aug 14, 2021, at 10:29 AM
  • Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!! Putnam County's EMS (dispatch to field) have went in such a positive direction in the recent years. I am proud to have the men and women that we do. Also, having known the Robertson's the majority of my life, this hits home.

    Hey, Big Tone...."Stay out of the scanner" ;)

    -- Posted by Hmmmmm on Mon, Aug 16, 2021, at 4:26 PM
  • Thank you all for your dedication to our community for us all!

    -- Posted by bross on Tue, Aug 17, 2021, at 9:36 AM
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