Five Lyon County Emergency Medical Services crew members were honored Monday night for their roles in saving the life of a man feared to be lost forever.
Nicholas Burton, Jessica Hughes, Kimberly Hughes, Amanda Knight and Tandy Beth Redd were honored with Phoenix Awards presented by the county ambulance board Monday.
The phoenix, according to the award text, is “a mythological bird that consumed itself by fire and rose renewed from the ashes.”
The symbol has been adopted by the Lyon County EMS “to recognize those individuals, who through their skills and knowledge, have successfully revived an individual known to have been in cardiac arrest.”
EMS Director Bill Adams said the crew members were eating dinner shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, June 29, when they were paged to a residence on report of a man in cardiac arrest, flat on his back and unresponsive.
When they arrived, they found the man had no heartbeat and no pulse, but the EMS crew used their knowledge and expertise to bring the man back to life.
By the time he was brought to the hospital, he was able to wink at one of the staff members and squeeze her hand.
He is now in a nursing home, Adams said. The victim suffered some memory loss and requires some assistance walking, but is otherwise all right.
“We’re truly surprised he’s come out as well as he has,” said Adams.
The Phoenix Award program was adopted by the ambulance service several years ago, he said, and the phoenix will appear on shoulder patches of new uniforms for EMS personnel.
Ambulance board Chairman Rod Murphy congratulated the crew for their accomplishment.
“I’m very proud of you folks. I’m not at all surprised,” he said. “Our employees have been one of the things that hasn’t let us down.”
Lyon County Judge/Executive Jimmy Campbell thanked the EMS crew on hand and those not present for answering the call to become emergency responders, and he pledged his full support to Adams and the board.
