Watkins Glen responders earn Gold Star

WATKINS GLEN--The departments involved in a life-saving rescue were honored for their efforts with the Gold Star Award Wednesday, July 1. Cargill worker Ken Hill's cardiac arrest event at the Cargill Salt plant at the end of April saw his fellow employees alert first responders, who came to the scene to treat Hill and get him to the hospital. Watkins Glen Fire Chief Judson Smith said if the chain of response had not worked the way it did, it could have had a tragic result.
"Everything worked perfectly, not only from the 911 dispatchers providing care over the phone to the emergency response team at Cargill started doing CPR and defibrillation until the fire department arrived taking over care of the patient," Smith said. "There was also continuing care with Schuyler Ambulance through to the hospital."
Smith said the Gold Star Award is presented by the Southern Tier Regional Emergency Medical Services Council and recognizes excellence and fosters achievement by those in EMS systems whose acts and deeds stand out from the day-to-day excellence of that system. The council is based out of Elmira and is responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring regional EMS system development in the Southern Tier. The Watkins Fire Chief mentioned the award was presented to these responders for their work, adding it was a team effort to make sure Hill received the care he needed.
"It was a recognition for a group effort more than anything else," Smith said. "[...] It's really nice to see all the links in the chain come together and work the way they are supposed to. From the 911 center to the dispatcher doing exactly what they were supposed to do. They are typically the unsung heroes of any type of witness cardiac arrest or any emergency event for that matter because nobody sees them. They provide emergency medical care over the phone and instructions to callers and its vital. It's the first link in the chain."
Smith also commended the employees of Cargill for their response to the call, saying the victim owes his life to those two first links in the emergency response chain. He said if those two links did not function the way they were supposed to, the outcome could have been completely different.