State honors three emergency medical services for care of woman kicked by horse

COLUMBUS — The Uhrichsville Fire Department, Smith Ambulance of Dover and the MedFlight 4 air ambulance crew received the Star of Life Award on Wednesday during a ceremony recognizing Ohio’s outstanding prehospital providers.

The Ohio Emergency Medical Services Star of Life Awards ceremony was presented by the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Division of EMS, the State Board of Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services and the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

The Uhrichsville, Smith and MedFlight crews were recognized for providing life-saving care to woman who had been kicked twice in the head by a horse on Oct. 10, 2019 in Union Township.

"The exceptional and collaborative out-of-hospital care provided by MedFlight 4, Smith Ambulance Service, and Uhrichsville Fire Department to their critically injured trauma patient made the difference between life and death," said the narrative from Ohio EMS. "The advanced airway maneuvers performed by EMS personnel saved (her) life."

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Upon arrival, they found the 51-year-old woman sitting upright, according to a description posted by Ohio Emergency Medical Services, which gave the following account:

She was confused, and had sustained a large open skull injury. There was severe swelling to her face, and she was having trouble breathing.

Oxygen was administered with a bag-valve-mask device and the patient’s neck was stabilized with a cervical collar once MedFlight arrived.

But her condition began to deteriorate.

Attempts were made to intubate the patient, but due to the swelling from her injuries, they were unsuccessful.

An emergency attempt to ventilate her after performing a needle cricothyrotomy — a type of tracheotomy — also proved unsuccessful.

The MedFlght crew then performed a surgical cricothyrotomy to secure her airway to provide the oxygen she so desperately needed.

The individuals honored Wednesday for the care they provided to the patient were Herman Valentine, MedFlight 4 pilot; Michelle Huff, MedFight 4 paramedic; Curtis McGarry, Uhrichsville Fire Department firefighter/paramedic; Capt. Nathan Crouse, Uhrichsville firefighter/paramedic; Cory Paisley, Uhrichsville firefighter/paramedic; Charissa Cunningham, Smith Ambulance advanced emergency medical technician and Jay Fisher, Smith Ambulance paramedic.

The awards ceremony took place during National Emergency Medical Services Week, which continues through Saturday. It brings together local communities and medical personnel to publicize safety and honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's front line.

“Ohio EMS responded to about 4 million emergency runs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ohio EMS Executive Director Rob Wagoner said in a prepared statement. “EMS teams are always ready to provide critical, lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of the risks.”

Wednesday's ceremony was the first staged after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other area departments given the Star of Life Award were the Wooster City Fire Department and the East Wayne Fire District. The reasons for their selections are described below, in stories provided by Ohio EMS.                   

The Wooster department was recognized for its response to a Jan. 20, 2019 incident in which 14-year-old Ethan Rutherford had a heart attack. The department responded with a squad and battalion equipped with a plow because there had been six to nine inches of snow. The city street department cleared the roads to expedite their travel to the scene.

Upon arrival, Wooster EMS took over CPR care from Ethan’s father. Ethan was defibrillated immediately and high-quality CPR, airway management, and medications were administered. After being defibrillated twice more on the scene, Ethan regained a pulse.

After being taken to Wooster Community Hospital, Ethan needed to go to Akron Children's Hospital. Due to inclement weather, the Akron hospital could not send air or ground transport. The Wooster Fire Department took him to Akron Children's with the help of the Wooster street department and the Ohio Department of Transportation.

East Wayne was recognized for its response to a Dec. 22, 2019 incident involving two children and an adult who fell into an icy pond. Lt. Ryan Sprunger entered the water to rescue them.

The first child, Landon Hodge, age 6, and Todd Farris, age 56 and the children’s grandfather, were safely brought to shore. Landon’s younger brother, Jenson, age 4, was still underwater.

Sprunger, ignoring hypothermia, removed Jenson from the icy water and resuscitation efforts were immediately begun. Jenson was airlifted to Akron Children’s Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries two days later.

To honor Jenson’s memory and to help save others from drowning, Sprunger created a 75-foot rope that allows a rescuer to pull a victim from the water without having to enter the water.

Complete narratives of Star of Life Awards recipients are online at ems.ohio.gov.

The Star of Life, a symbol used to identify emergency medical services, features a blue six-pointed star outlined by a white border. The Star of Life is displayed on ambulances, uniforms and other objects linked to emergency medicine.

Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.

On Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: OHIO EMS honors Uhrichsville Fire, Smith Ambulance, MedFlight