By David Fleet

Editor

Groveland Twp.- One week. Two lives.

Two township residents are alive today thanks to some quick and professional medical treatment.

On June 17 at about 2:30 p.m., Lt. Tom Nicholson, a 15-year township firefighter/paramedic responded to a home and found a 74-year-old male patient lying on the floor.

“When I arrived the patient was speaking and complained of chest pains,” said Nicholson. “I connected the cardiac monitor and before we could get him on the gurney he started going into what appeared to be a seizure. His wife said he’d never had a seizure before. I turned on the monitor I realized he had gone normal to v-fib.”

V-fib, or ventricular fibrillation, is a heart rhythm problem that occurs when the heart beats with rapid, erratic electrical impulses.

“We jumped on CPR and shocked him twice, back in normal rhythm,” he said.

A second EMS unit for the township responded and the patient was transported to Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc.

“The patient was in surgery within a half-hour for blockage,” he said. “Within two hours he was up and talking. I’m just glad we got there on time.”

Just about a week later Nicholson was called out to save another township resident.

“This time it was it was a 51-year-old woman,” he said. “Similarly we shocked her heart back in to rhythm and RSC, or return of spontaneous circulation. She also had a blockage in her heart.”

On Thursday, Lt. Nicholson, along with Sgt. Matt Decker, firefighter/paramedic, Jeremy Watson, EMT and Duane Bailey, EMT were recognized by the Oakland County Medical Control Authority for their efforts earlier this summer.

“I really don’t like accepting awards, it’s my job,” said Nicholson. “Others have done just as much on a daily basis. I’m just glad we arrived in time and had the right equipment. So often we are just too late to make a difference.”

Response time can make all the difference, added Nicholson.

“Sometimes we get 9-1-1 calls for chest pains that turn out to be not life threatening,” he said. “Really I’m OK with that. If you’re not sure, call. Better safe than sorry.”