Hagerstown Fire Dept. to thank those who rescued firefighter hurt at his other job
Heroes can come from anywhere, on any day.
The Hagerstown Fire Department recognizes that, and plans to present its Any Day Hero awards to those who rescued one of its professional firefighters after he sustained a severe electrical shock at his other job, according to Chief Steve Lohr.
Joel Oyler, of Mont Alto, Pa., a Hagerstown firefighter and fire apparatus operator, was severely injured Aug. 12 while working as an electrician for his family's Oyler Electric business, Lohr said.
Oyler was on a mobile aerial work platform working on a project at Gettysburg (Pa.) Area High School when he received a 440-volt shock, Lohr said. A coworker got him off of the work platform and school staffers immediately worked to resuscitate Oyler until emergency medical services personnel arrived.
"When they came to work that morning, they didn't expect to do CPR," Lohr said. "They just flew into action."
Oyler was flown to a hospital for treatment, and spent several weeks at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore because of a severe burn to his hand, Lohr said.
"He's a lucky man," Lohr said. "If those people hadn't been there, he wouldn't be here today."
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Oyler returned to work as a firefighter last month performing light duties while his hand continued to heal. He has since returned to full duty, according to Lohr.
A delegation from the fire department plans to present the awards Monday during the 7 p.m. meeting of the Gettysburg Area School Board at Gettysburg Area Middle School. The awards recognize the staff of the high school, Oyler Electric, STAT MedEvac and Adams Regional Emergency Medical Service, Lohr said.
In addition to Lohr and Oyler, the delegation is to include Oyler's supervisor, Battalion Chief Russ Grim and Justin Mallott, a fire apparatus operator and president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1605 representing Hagerstown's paid firefighters.
Lohr stressed the value of everyday people learning how to perform CPR, and said that equipping public buildings with automatic defibrillators can also help save lives.
"This is walking, talking evidence of that," he said.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Rescuers of firefighter hurt at his other job to be recognized
