Local News

Emergency Workers Go Above and Beyond

Thirteen Cherokee County firefighters were recognized for two of the statewide awards presented at a recent Georgia Emergency Medical Services Association (GEMSA) reception.

The Tim Peebles Champion of Children Excellence and Advocacy Award was presented to Manny Zapeta, Jacob Gunter and Christopher Ginn with Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services.

After a tragic pediatric death in an elementary school, even with CPRcertified school staff responding, Ginn, Zapeta and Gunter were determined to do everything they could to prevent similar incidents at schools in the future. They compiled a detailed plan to deliver CPR to the teachers within the school district. The plan included estimated costs, material and time investment to receive authorization to initiate a CPR/automated external defibrillator/first-aid training blitz to target elementary school staff.

Since, these three have led a CPR advocacy campaign and trained hundreds of teachers and other staff. This training paid off last summer when a 5‐year‐old was found in cardiac arrest. The CPR trained staff recognized the sudden cardiac arrest, began compressions, called

GEMSA Executive Director Kim Littleton, left, and GEMSA Chairman Chad Black, right, present the Tim Peebles Champion of Children Award to Christopher Ginn, Manny Zapeta, Jacob Gunter and EMS Chief, Nate Sullivan with Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services.

for the AED and delivered a shock just as they were trained. Upon arrival of EMS, the patient was awake and crying for his parents. He was transported to a children’s hospital for evaluation and was back in school about a week later with no neurological deficits. These individuals at Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services continue to train school personnel in CPR and first aid.

The Mary Beth Bowns Excellence in Trauma Care Award was presented to Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services, including Ross Young, William Armstrong, Nicholas Spain, Deombre Jones, Denver Ice, Samuel Lackender, Ethan Sanders, Chris Roberts, Jamie McCord and Tyler Russell.

Last fall, Engine 19 responded to a “person hit by auto. ” The patient had been struck by a vehicle and was wedged in a manhole gutter. Engine 19 and Truck 1 began assessing the patient and giving medication for pain. Airbags were used to lift the concrete manhole off the patient. While on scene and enroute to the hospital, the patient received many interventions, including bilateral chest decompression, medications, pressure dressings and immobilization. His multiple injuries included complex pelvic fractures and bilateral pneumothorax. Over the course of several days, the patient had multiple surgeries to repair his injuries. The patient continued to recover and did well with physical therapy. The prompt response, assessment, extrication and treatment at the scene significantly impacted the outcome.

One Big Family in the ER

Each night, the staff of the emergency department at Northside Hospital Cherokee waits for the entire shift to be done so they can walk out together. Employees pictured are: Meagan Ellis, Whitney McEntyre, Elizabeth Dart, Preston Cobb, Katelyn Rose, Kate Goodall, Savannah Krapf, Katie Bass, Brandi Price, Megan Jones (Capinas), Leslie Harper and Eric Anderson.

“When asked about what they love most about working at Northside, the majority of our staff will say it’s the people they work with – their family. Family members care for and support one another, and the past two years have certainly brought our family closer together. This is just one of many very special examples of how that is demonstrated at Northside every day,” said Katie Pearson, COO of Northside Cherokee.