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‘Outstanding job’TV crew recreating efforts of local rescue personnelBy ANNA-MARIE FUDAof the Daily Telegraph staffWELCH — The effectiveness of the “91 1“ system implemented in McDowell County is being documented this week by a film crew from the hit CBS television series Rescue 911.Members of the McDowell County 911 team and a quick-thinking athletic trainer from Mount View High School came to the rescue of a 17-year-old boy who had suffered from a serious fall almost IV2 miles from the school atop Tom’s Mountain.Donald Trent and some of his friends had chosen the beautiful April day to “play hooky” from school and had traveled on foot down a path which leads from the school to an old strip mine road.The boys were doing what local boys have done for years — swinging from the thick grapevines that hang from the lofty trees on the mountain’s ridge. But the boys came face-to-face with near tragedy when during a swing the vine broke and Trent plummeted nearly 220 feet over the side of the mountain.Trent dropped 70 feet before landing on both feet. With every bone in both feet broken, hetumbled an additional 150 feet down the side of the mountain.The other boys ran back to the school and enlisted the help of Ed Evans, an athletic trainer well-versed in first aid.Mount View principal Judith Kowalski then called “911.”Within minutes the McDowell County Ambulance Authority was en route, dispatched to the scene by head dispatcher Roger Cox. The HealthNet helicopter was dispatched as well — since the extent of the injuries was unknown, the team could only expect the worst.Cox also alerted Paul Keesling, a team member trained in repelling, since the boy was initially reported being over the mountain. The Welch and Kimball Fire Departments responded as well, helping to set up a landing site for medical transport. Cox said.Emergency Medical Techni- • cian Sheree Hicks and driver Carl Bell were the first to arrive at the scene. Evans and the boys had retrieved the injured student from the site where he landed and had carried him within one-half mile from the school’s parking area which borders the forest.Joe Heizer and Doug Cline, both EMTs, arrived next with Advanced Life Support. The paramedics assisted Hicks inpreparing Trent for the journey to Charleston via helicopter.Trent remained conscious throughout the ordeal. Hicks said.Rescue 911’’ director Ron Brody and a crew of three have interviewed the various people involved in the rescue during their stay in southern West Virginia.Tuesday the crew took their cameras to Welch and began to set up for the stunt shoot planned for later in the week.Jimmy Gianato. 911 director, said local emergency personnel were very excited about the show deciding to recognize the efforts of local rescue personnel.‘This incident was one of the first serious life-threatening situations that the communications center handled shortly after being created to centralize emergency communications in the county,” Gianato said. Since its inception, the center has repeatedly coordinated emergency efforts of various agencies. I am very proud of the outstanding job our people have done and are continuing to do on a day-to-day basis of handling these emergency calls.’’Gianato praised the rescue personnel and dispatchers for an outstanding Job.
Newspaper Details
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Bluefield, West Virginia, US
Wed, Jun 24, 1992
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Wikimedia F.
California, DZ 24 Nov 2023
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