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(Above) Auxiliarists, (below) Coast Guard & EMS personnel. |
Station Emerald Isle, NC: On 30 June 2011, Flotilla 20-6 Auxiliarists Jim Mauk, Dennis Szeba, Bill Gerdsen, Ron Johnson, and Fred Jelinek (Flotilla 20-10 Swansboro, NC) aboard vessel Valrose II, were conducting man-overboard drills. They saw a jon boat circling with a man slumped over in the stern and another occupant waving her arms. Auxiliarist Mauk alerted Coast Guard Station Emerald Isle of the situation.
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(L to R)
Auxiliarists Jim Mauk, Dennis Szeba, Mr. & Mrs. Lancaster, Auxiliarists Bill Gerdsen and Ron Johnson. Not pictured--Fred Jelinek. Taken at CG Station Emerald Isle where several members of the Lancaster family met with the Station staff and several Auxiliarists. |
Ron Johnson maneuvered to intercept the moving jon boat, and Dennis Szeba secured the boat. Fred Jelinek and Bill Gerdsen boarded the jon boat and made a medical assessment. The man had no pulse. Jelinek immediately started chest compressions while Gerdsen moved occupants to the bow.
At the call from the crew of Valrose II, Station Emerald Isle immediately dispatched their 24' rescue boat and contacted Emerald Isle EMS.
Coast Guard personnel arrived, assumed command, continued CPR, and brought the jon boat and the victim to the station where they and other Coast Guard personnel assisted with two applications of a defibrillator to establish a pulse.
With the victim's pulse and breathing restored, the Coast Guardsmen transferred the victim to the Emerald Isle EMS for transport to the hospital. The entire event took approx 17 minutes from first call to transport to the hospital. That is "Team Coordination" at its best.
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Coast Guard & EMS personnel move victim into ambulance. |
The incident demonstrated a TOTAL team effort between the Auxiliarists, the Coast Guardsmen, and the EMS service. Everyone performed almost instinctively, showing the necessity of constant practice, practice, practice.
BMC Robert F. Lepere, USCG, Officer in Charge of Station Emerald Isle declared, "Everything fell into place perfectly and training and instinct just took over. This is what the Coast Guard is here for, and never in my 15 years of service have I witnessed or taken part in someone being revived like this."
On 13 July, the Lancaster family met with the Station staff and several Auxiliarists to thank them for their life-saving efforts.
~CC 09-23-11