From left: Gabe Cooley, Toby Hollis, Anita Sprague, and Tim McLaughlin, of Waldoboro EMS, stand for applause in the Waldoboro town office the evening of Tuesday, April 22. The team exercised quick thinking and recognized the subtle but serious signs of a serious medical problem while responding to a call in Jefferson this February, said Chief Derek Booker. (Molly Rains photo)
Four Waldoboro first responders were honored on Tuesday, April 22, for actions that EMS Chief Derek Booker said encapsulated the “expertise, passion, and empathy” the service strives for.
Before residents and the Waldoboro Select Board, Booker issued citations honoring the actions of Lead Paramedic Toby Hollis, EMT Gabe Cooley, Capt. Anita Sprague, and EMT Tim McLaughlin that he said saved the life of a Jefferson resident on Feb. 28.
The responder team was called to a Jefferson residence that evening for a woman who had reported experiencing nausea, arm pain, and vomiting earlier that day, Booker said. Though the woman said she was feeling better that evening, the responders recognized her symptoms as potentially pointing to a serious issue and encouraged her to seek further evaluation. The responders moved the woman into the ambulance and began to monitor her heart.
Shortly after, “she actually went into cardiac arrest right there in front of them,” Booker said.
In rural areas like the area that Waldoboro EMS covers, Booker said, severe medical events like cardiac arrest can be even more dangerous due to longer response times and greater distances to hospitals.
However, on Feb. 28, Hollis, Cooley, Sprague, and McLaughlin jumped into action immediately and successfully saved the woman’s life, using a defibrillator to restart her heart rhythm and stabilizing her as they traveled to MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta.
The woman was later transported to MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland and is on track to make a full recovery, Booker said.
“Your experience, knowledge, understanding of the dire nature of this patient’s condition, and your intervention without delay or hesitation allowed this patient to regain a normal heart rhythm and consciousness,” Booker said.
Recognizing the seriousness of the woman’s symptoms and taking immediate action despite the fact that she reported feeling better in the moment was crucial to her survival, he added.
“This understanding on your part is the very reason this patient was in the ambulance when she suffered the cardiac arrest,” he said.
“That’s definitely something to be proud of,” said Waldoboro Select Board Chair John Blodgett.
