Sheriff Donald Tulloch Professional Hero
Kristina West
It’s more than okay to be treated by a “newbie”! On Kristina West’s second solo shift as an EMT, she faced an event that would test a seasoned EMT. Chris MacLeod, a carpenter working on the Chilmark North Road Fire station, walked into the adjacent ambulance barn with the assistance of the town custodian.
Shortly after arriving Chris “coded” – medical-speak for cardiac arrest. Kristina called for backup and began CPR. Doing CPR on a man of Chris’ brawn is physically demanding. She never gave up, even when the backup team was in a serious traffic accident and she had to wait for a second backup.
But Martha’s Vineyard is a small community. Hearing of the situation locals trained in CPR rushed to the barn and when the paramedics arrived seven islanders were doing chest compression in rotation. After a stop at the Island’s hospital Chris was flown to Boston. While doctors knew they could fix his heart, they were concerned about neurological damage.
Kristina had performed CPR solo for 15 minutes. Chris is fine. Her actions make her a hero, one anyone of us would want to be treated by in an emergency situation.
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