Everyday Heroes

Staff Uses AED to Save Coworker

Written by Kristine Ripley

The staff of a manufacturing company in Columbia, Tennessee are advocates for automated external defibrillators (AED). One morning as Mr. Richard Stewart, quality control engineer, talked shop with fellow employees, he collapsed due to sudden cardiac arrest. Fortunately, the company had an effective emergency action plan. Only months earlier, Reba Crowell, the company's occupational health nurse, and Tommy Underwood, who also works at the plant, had trained plant personnel in first aid, CPR and AEDs. Crowell and Underwood are both American Red Cross instructors.

As soon as Mr. Stewart went down, the team went into action. Jay Coston and Rick Cupola were first to respond and started CPR. Ms. Crowell was radioed about the situation and came running with the AED unit. An AED is a device that can restore a heart's normal rhythm. Mr. Stewart had no pulse and was not breathing. Ms. Crowell and Mr. Underwood arrived on the scene, applied the electrodes of the defibrillator to Mr. Stewart, and took a reading. The machine indicated a shock was needed. One shock restored Mr. Stewart's heart rhythm. The team continued to monitor Mr. Stewart until the paramedics arrived.

Ms. Crowell later explained, "We have been told by the employee's physician, the Vanderbilt Lifeflight Team, the local hospital, and locally emergency medical service that because the employee received the lifesaving shock from the defibrillator, his heart was restored to regular rhythm which ultimately saved his life." If an AED had not been available and staff had not been effectively trained, Mr. Stewart surely would have died.

After this incident, the manufacturing company's corporate office sent out a memo recommending that all their locations evaluate their emergency plans with the details of this story in mind and consider obtaining an AED.

Ms. Crowell wrote in a letter that she is very grateful that the management company allowed their office to purchase and include an AED in their emergency plan. She went on to say, "We are thankful that we were prepared to deal effectively and efficiently with this emergency situation. It is a wonderful and rewarding feeling to know that all of us, collectively, played a part in saving the employee's life."

These coworkers have been awarded the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit for their heroic actions.

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