SMETHPORT – A 15-year-old youth is alive in Bradford Regional
Medical Center today thanks to the quick action of five
medically-trained individuals who work for McKean County.

Three emergency medical technicians, two of whom are
firefighters, a Children and Youth Services worker, a CPR/AED
certified technician and firefighter, and the director of the
McKean County Emergency Management Agency, were able to get the
teen, who was not breathing and without a pulse, back to breathing
with a heartbeat on Wednesday.

“I prefer that it didn’t happen, but if it was going to happen,
he couldn’t have picked a better place aside from a hospital or an
ambulance to do it,” said Steve Nelson, EMA director.

At 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, Jamie Himes Dana, a CYS worker, made a
call to McKean County Emergency 911 to report an unresponsive
15-year-old male that wasn’t breathing.

Andrew Johnson, a 911 dispatcher and firefighter in Port
Allegany, heard the call, and realizing it was in the parking lot
behind the building he was working in, grabbed the center’s
month-old Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machine and went
outside to help.

Johnson said when he arrived in the parking lot, Dana was with
the male, who was still in the car, and he pulled him out.

While Johnson was headed out the door behind the Emergency
Management Agency, dispatcher Craig Simons dispatched EMS. Simons
is also the Mount Jewett Volunteer Fire Department fire chief.

Hearing the call on the radio were dispatcher Rob Dickinson, who
is also a Smethport firefighter, and Nelson. Nelson said he
realized he had Basic Life Support equipment in the EMA vehicle and
headed over to the scene to help. Dickinson lives close by and
responded, as well.

Dana inserted an oral airway to keep open the teen’s airway
while Johnson and Nelson prepared the ventilation equipment and
Dickinson connected the AED.

The group continued with CPR procedures and found the
defibrillator advised not to shock the teen. They used the machine
again to evaluate the teen’s needs and again the machine advised no
shock was necessary.

The machine is capable of taking a reading to evaluate the needs
of the person it is hooked to.

While continuing with chest compressions and using the bag valve
mask, the group noticed the teen started to breathe on his own
again and regained a pulse.

These actions were printed in a letter by Nelson to Acting
County Administrator Michele Alfieri. The letter recommends the
people listed be recognized for their actions and “outstanding
efforts in saving the life of a young 15-year-old man.” The letter
also suggests that recognition could be shown by awarding those
staff members with a day off with pay for “exemplary
performance.”

Johnson said Thursday their actions were not out of the ordinary
in an emergency situation.

“We went to work trying to help the kid out. It’s the same thing
we all have been doing in emergency services for a while,” said
Johnson. “We are not required to know how to do this as emergency
911 dispatchers. We are trained in first aid and CPR so we can
assist if we have to. It just happened to be we all have done this
before.”

Johnson explained the two buildings of the Emergency Management
Agency and CYS are close together.

Nelson adds the way the group went to action speaks to their
abilities, adding it was an intense situation.

“I am very pleased with them. The individual was extremely lucky
– he was pulseless and not breathing,” said Nelson. “Andrew and
Jamie did the bulk of it and Rob and I helped them. Craig ran the
dispatch and communications center himself. It was an all around
effort by everyone and it ended up being a successful ending. That
is why I wrote the letter.”

Nelson added the fact the agency received the AEDs a month ago
was also a blessing. He said they have put one in each police
department, the EMA center, response vehicles and one in the
courthouse. He added one may also be put in the McKean County
Prison.