Photo By Sarah Windmueller | As first responders worked to assess the scene of a cardiac arrest patient on February...... read more read more
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Red and blue lights of rescue vehicles ignited shadows of night, causing the unfolding medical scene to play out in clipped, tumultuous flashes.
As first responders worked to assess the scene of a cardiac arrest patient on February 23, 2023, 18-year-old Erin Gates stepped in to help resuscitate the individual – an act that ultimately saved their life.
Amid the chaos, Gates stayed completely calm.
“Her quick action to get in position to provide CPR without any coaching was impressive,” said Chris Pavadore, a firefighter and paramedic with the Anchorage Fire Department who was training Gates that day.
To Pavadore, Gates’s ability to gauge the situation and step in without any hesitations, showed strength and leadership that is “far beyond her age-group.”
Then a senior and Army JROTC Cadet at Bettye Davis East High School in Alaska, Gates was also a member of the Anchorage Fire Explorers – an Anchorage Fire Department program that partners with the high school to introduce and train interested students in the foundational skills of being a firefighter.
“AFE is a way to give you a taste of what firefighting is,” Gates said.
“It’s a way to get in a safe environment with the right people and experience the life of a firefighter – what they do, what is asked of you, what is demanded of you as a firefighter.”
With aspirations of becoming a medic, Gates joined the AFE in August to help develop and perfect some of those skills. She was quickly captivated by the opportunity to be both a medic and a firefighter.
“I ended up falling in love with the idea of being on a team that is able to support and save lives,” Gates said.
On February 23, Gates showed up for an all-day shift and ride along with her advisor – Chris Pavadore.
This would be the first “out-of-classroom” experience for the student and her advisor. Just from their weekly trainings, Pavadore was already impressed by Gates’s confidence.
“Erin was immediately one of the people that clearly was going to hit the ground running,” Pavadore said. “She has a natural tendency to lead – and an impressive ability to earn the respect of her peers to follow.”
From Gates’s perspective, the day started off “pretty chill.” They went through the motions of what a typical day for a fire fighter might be, noting that the volume of calls for that day were significantly lower than usual for one of the busier stations.
After receiving a call to transport a pregnant woman who ended up delivering her baby minutes after arriving at the hospital, Gates and Pavadore were getting ready to call it a night.
“While I was finishing my report at the hospital, we received another EMS call for a patient not breathing after a witnessed collapse,” Pavadore said.
As the medical vehicle closest to the patient, they took off immediately to assist.
“[Pavadore told me] this is the real deal, this is actually a person who we’re going to do CPR on…this is a real big patient, this is it,” Gates said. “He said to prepare myself because he might ask me to do CPR if I was comfortable.
They arrived at the home where Gates was immediately immersed in the lights and organized chaos as she watched fire fighters and other medical professionals quickly attend to the patient.
As thoughts were racing through Gates’s head, she felt practical training kick in that had been taught to her throughout the four years she’d been in JROTC.
On top of all the other basic leadership and citizenship skills students learn in JROTC, they are also taught CPR and basic first responder care. Students also receive instruction, aligning with leadership development, on when to observe a situation versus when to step in and assist.
Gates felt this training kick in.
“This is crazy, this scene is huge, there’s so many people and so many things I didn’t understand but being able to think in that moment and know I just need to pay attention,” she recalls.
“I needed to be a follower instead of a leader, and just help where I can and read the scene…being able to stay calm like that was really helpful.”
As they continued attending to the patient, Gates was asked if she felt comfortable administering chest compressions.
She didn’t hesitate.
“Put me in I’m ready,” she said. “We did a pulse check, we did a shock and then I was on my knees ready to go giving the patient chest compressions. I did two cycles and then we shocked them and then I began compressions again. I only got two or three beats in before the medic called that they had a heart rhythm back.”
“It was just this overwhelming experience,” Gates said. “But, I also remember just being so calm and in the moment.”
The patient’s brain was still functioning despite lacking a heart rhythm.
“The patient was grabbing at [Erin’s] arms and the mask providing oxygen…as she continued the patient began moaning and vocalizing while moving all her limbs,” Pavadore said.
Gates paused chest compressions to allow the other medics to do a pulse check – still no heartbeat.
“The patient was still very much not alive…another shock was delivered and CPR resumed. The patient regained spontaneous circulation at the next pulse check and was now very much alive,” he said.
“While these dynamic cardiac arrests can and certainly do occur, the frequency with which we have an arrest with a person talking with us during transport is very low. Erin carried herself in a manner that showed everyone on scene that she was there to be a member of the team.”
The patient was safely delivered to the hospital for further care.
As her trainer, Pavadore is still in awe of Gates’s actions that day, especially because of the rare experience that occurred while resuscitating the patient – it’s something that she may only see once in her lifetime.
As the adrenaline began to wear off, the impact and realization of the day’s events began to resonate.
“[Their] life was on the line, and I was able to be a part of the team that saved [them],” she said. “It was amazing seeing how all of these people came together and their sole focus was making sure that this [patient] lives was just amazing.
“The fact that I was there and [they] lived and I was a part of saving [their] life, it’s incredible and I will literally remember this for the rest of my life.”
After graduating in May, Gates accepted a five-year Army ROTC scholarship to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She’s also been picked up as a fire fighter for the university’s fire department.
She plans on becoming a fire fighter with the Anchorage Fire Department while serving in either the Army National Guard or Army Reserve.
“I feel like it just makes sense for me to go to college – especially if [the Army] is paying for it, it means so much more,” Gates said.
“It opens up this entire new world for me and I can still do the military, I can still do firefighting, and I can go to college.”
| Date Taken: | 07.07.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2023 14:51 |
| Story ID: | 448729 |
| Location: | ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: | ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: | JUNEAU, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 441 |
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