SANTA CLARA — Members of a Santa Clara-Ivins Fire Rescue crew who helped save the life of a pickleball player in early January were recognized for their efforts during Wednesday’s Santa Clara City Council meeting.
Recognized were Capt. Jason Monahan, Capt. Mark Youngberg, Engineer Jessica Harward, Firefighter/Medic Logan Costello, Firefighter/AEMT Shay Holman, and Firefighter/EMT Jake Tidwell.
The Washington County resident who had become a patient when he went into cardiac arrest last month was also present at the meeting, although his name wasn’t officially released. Even though the man didn’t speak publicly, he did privately thank each of the caregivers for saving his life.
Santa Clara-Ivins Fire Chief Andrew Parker said during Wednesday’s meeting that the six crew members had responded to a call of an unresponsive subject at the pickleball courts at Gubler Park just before 11 a.m. on Jan. 4. The incident was previously reported in St. George News on Jan. 12.
Emergency responders arrived on scene approximately four minutes after the initial call came in at 10:54 a.m., Parker said. Up until then, bystanders had been doing CPR chest compressions. As soon as they arrived, the fire rescue crew members initiated advanced life support measures, Parker noted.
“At 10:58 crews were at the scene, providing medications, doing CPR, providing electrical therapy and defibrillation,” he added.
Approximately 11 minutes later, the patient exhibited a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), the chief said, noting that the man was then transported via ambulance to St. George Regional Hospital.
Parker said that statistically speaking, ROSC is attained by only about 25% in all cardiac patients where CPR is performed.
“And to actually have somebody walk out of the hospital, it’s less than 1%,” he added.
“Obviously we had a successful outcome,” Parker said. “He’s here with us tonight,”
Each of the six honorees was then presented with a “Life Saving Award” plaque recognizing their “courageous and life saving actions at the scene of a cardiac arrest on January 4th 2023 in Santa Clara, UT.”
The inscription on the plaques also notes that the honorees used their skills to “save a human life with proficiency and dedication.”
Afterward, Costello, who lives in Iron County, shared further details about the incident with St. George News.
“It was very humbling for us all to get to meet him and to see that he’s doing great,” Costello said, adding that the man was home from the hospital within a few days of the incident. “He said he’s able to get out and exercise again now. It’s really amazing to get to see that.”
Although Costello said he and his colleagues have performed CPR and other lifesaving measures on many patients over the years, it’s a rare occasion to get to meet with a survivor after the fact.
“It was very, very moving,” he said.
Costello also said that every member of the crew played a vital role in the rescue.
“It was a total team effort,” he said. “Everyone on the call knew their roles and responsibilities and did an excellent job.”
Costello also credited the bystanders, who included an off-duty nurse and an off-duty respiratory therapist, for stepping in and helping immediately.
“That is an absolutely critical piece of the puzzle,” he said. “If you manage the airway right away and chest compressions are initiated as soon as possible, it greatly increases patient survivability. So the bystanders, the off-duty hospital personnel, did an awesome job.”
Costello reiterated what a humbling experience it was to meet the patient and his family.
“I don’t have enough words for what a rewarding feeling that was for us as a six-person crew, to know we had done our jobs and that our patient was alive and well and has many good years ahead of him.”
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