MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930
mebrady@co.pg.md.us @PGFDPIO
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| Fire Fighter DeForest proudly wears his Bronze Medal after presentation by Deputy Fire Chief Wood and Battalion Chief Valencis |
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| Fire Fighter Chris DeForest |
Fire Fighter Chris DeForest was presented with his Bronze Medal for EMS Excellence this week. Scheduling conflicts prevented him from attending the Valor Awards Luncheon in April as well as a second event held at a Bowie Baysox game, however, we finally caught up to him at work.
Currently stationed at the Silver Hill Fire/EMS Station 829 DeForest was presented his Bronze Medal from Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Wood and Battalion Chief Grady Valencis. Congratulations Chris on an honor well deserved!!!
Here is the scenario that Fire Fighter Deforest was recognized for:
Friday, May 1, 2015, just before 6:00 P.M., firefighters, paramedics and police officers were dispatched to the 6200 block of Central Avenue in Seat Pleasant for a critically injured child. At the time of the incident, 7-year-old Dah’Mari Jenkins and another 8-year-old family member were in the care of their grandmother. A Good Samaritan call was made to 911, after the caller noticed some commotion in the back of seat of a nearby car. The 911 call-taker obtained location information and immediately dispatched first responders, while remaining on the line and providing pre-arrival instructions to help control the bleeding. Two Seat Pleasant police officers were the first to arrive on the scene and initiated care to the victim. An engine and ambulance carrying firefighters and paramedics from Capitol Heights Fire/EMS Station 805 arrived just seconds later.
Dah'Mari had sustained an accidental lacerating wound to his right leg from the sharpest of sharp instrument, a surgeon’s scalpel. It is believed the scalpel, discovered by the children playing in the backseat, had been left in the car after it was stolen earlier in the year. The wound severed the Dah’Mari’s femoral artery, generating an almost total “bleed-out”. Fire/EMS Department responders performed a rapid assessment that showed the unconscious patient with agonal breathing as having nearly total blood loss and suffering hemorrhagic shock.
Dah'Mari was immediately treated, loaded and transported to Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) in Washington, DC. Seat Pleasant police officers facilitated transport of family members and escorted the ambulance to the hospital, thereby saving several valuable minutes. Everyone knew time was of the essence to get the child to a hospital.
During transport, Fire Fighter/Medic Stream utilized both of his hands to apply direct pressure to the area of the wound and a developing hematoma beneath the skin and just above the laceration area. The paramedic unit from Chapel Oaks Fire/EMS Station 838 rendezvoused with the Capitol Heights ambulance on Addison Road, with Fire Fighter/Medic Aldaco jumping on-board. Aldaco was successful in obtaining 2 IV’s to provide fluid into the patient. Fire Fighter/Medic Lieutenant Kight administered oxygen and made two attempts to intubate but was not able to complete the procedure, as the patient resisted the device.
The Emergency Department staff at CNMC was alerted to the incoming trauma patient and standing-by for his arrival. They immediately started to stabilize the child with blood transfusions, intubation and a quick trip to the Operating Room for the femoral repair. It is nothing short of a miracle that Dah’Mari not only survived but was able to be discharged two days later. On the following Thursday, he celebrated his 8th birthday with those who just six days prior worked feverishly to save his life.
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