It may take a village to raise a child, but it often takes a team to save a life, which is what two Apple Valley residents recently discovered.
Apple Valley Fire Protection District Chief Ken Harrison told the Daily Press that life-saving awards and commendations presented Tuesday night represented the underlying ethos of the district and the personnel who are committed to serving the community.
During the Fire District Board of Directors meeting at the Yucca Loma Station, Harrison announced awards for Dispatcher Nicole Hannibal and the AVFD crews from Medic Engine 331 and Medic Truck 336.
The meeting was attended by Town of Apple Valley Mayor Kari Leon, Mayor Pro Tem Art Bishop, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials, AVFD personnel, and their friends and family.
Harrison said it was “With great pride, honor, and humility” that he was pleased to recognize the life-saving efforts demonstrated by Hannibal, AVFD personnel, and resident Victor Jimenez.
Ladder accident
In October, Jimenez dialed 911 after discovering that his 65-year-old friend, Randy Henson, had fallen from a ladder and had stopped breathing.
“My dad was at home helping a friend fix a travel trailer when he fell,” Jennifer Galvan told the Daily Press. “We still don’t know why he fell, but he was in pretty bad condition.”
As Hannibal shared detailed CPR instructions, Jimenez began life-saving measures on his friend until AVFD paramedics arrived at the scene.
Upon arrival, fire district personnel found Jimenez performing CPR and speaking with Hannibal. Medic Engine Crew 331 took care of Henson, who had no pulse and was not breathing.
Medic Engine 331 included Fire Captain/Paramedic Jacob Salgado, Fire Apparatus Engineer/Paramedic Jay Northey, and Firefighter/Paramedic Jason Ibarra.
After Henson was defibrillated and CPR was continued, he regained a pulse. Fire district personnel and an American Medical Response crew continued treatment, and the patient was loaded into the ambulance.
Henson was defibrillated a second time which brought him into a ventricular rhythm. He was then transferred to a local hospital for further treatment.
“From Desert Valley Hospital, my dad was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Hospital, where he spent six days sedated and unresponsive in the ICU,” said Galvan, who lives in Apple Valley. “During his time in the hospital, he also had surgery on his femur.”
Galvan said during her father’s first week in the hospital, her family prepared for the worst as things were “touch and go” with Henson’s health.
During the meeting, Jean Henson pushed her husband’s wheelchair as he shook hands with Jimenez and the crew of Medic Engine 331. Jean, on the other hand, wept as she hugged each paramedic.
Harrison also praised Jimenez and said his actions on the incident made all the difference in his friend’s survival.
Officer down
In November, AVFD Medic Truck 336 and Medic Squad 337 were dispatched to a 49-year-old man with chest pains report. That man was later identified as San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jerrod Burns
Upon arrival, AVFD personnel found the man, later identified as Burns, unresponsive, pulseless, and not breathing. Fire and AMR personnel provided emergency medical treatment, including CPR and multiple cardiac defibrillations.
Burns regained a heartbeat during the treatment, with fire district and AMR personnel continuing to provide treatment en route to the hospital.
Burns began breathing again on his own during transport, and patient care was then transferred to Providence St. Mary Medical Center staff.
During the meeting, Burns and sheriff’s officials shook hands with the team of Medic Truck 336, which included Fire Captain/Paramedic Robert Qualls, Fire Apparatus Engineer Brian Malloy, and Firefighter/Paramedic Scott Embleton.
“Few people in our profession experience a life-saving opportunity such as this, as a patient, first responder, or dispatcher,” Harrison said. “While we would like to think that a cardiac arrest is easy to survive, even under the best conditions and the most healthy of patients, it takes a lot of things to be in alignment to have such a positive outcome.”
Employee of the Year
During the meeting, AVFD Inspector Gerry Longnecker was recognized as the Employee of the Year. He was hired in 2010 as a part-time inspector who had previously worked as a Reserve Fire Inspector while also working full-time as a police officer for the Hesperia Unified School District.
Longnecker was promoted to full-time inspector in Nov. 2019 and was commended for his work duties, including assisting the fire marshal and reviewing tenant improvements, commercial and fire alarm plan reviews.
Retirements
Engineer Philp Underwood, who retired in September, was recognized for his 31 years of service to the community.
In Jan. 1990, Underwood began his career as a paid-call firefighter and became a full-time firefighter two years later.
During his career, Underwood was commended for his actions during a Strike Team assignment and mentoring, training, and spending time with probationary firefighters.
Captain Carlos Marino, who retired in December, was recognized for his nearly 32 years of service to the High Desert community.
Marino began his career in 1989 as a paid-call firefighter and was promoted to full-time in 1991. During his career, he was the program manager for the Technical Rescue Team.
Marino received a distinguished service ribbon and several letters of commendation. He also trained and mentored future firefighters at the Victor Valley Regional Public Safety Training Center.
Promotions
Firefighter/Paramedic Manuel Lafarga was promoted to Engineer/Paramedic, with a badge pinning by his father, Danny Lafarga, who retired from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Lafarga was hired as a paid-call firefighter in 2013, became a paramedic three years later, and was hired full time after the passage of the Measure A parcel tax in Nov. 2016.
Lafarga is a member of the training cadre and helps new firefighter hiring, probationary testing, and in-house training.
Engineer Robert Simpson was promoted to Captain, with his wife, Jessica, pinning the badge on her husband.
Simpson worked at the fleet maintenance shop for 12 years, beginning in 2002. He was a member of the paid-call company from 2005 to 2018.
He became a full-time engineer after the passage of Measure A and was also a member of the Peer Support Team.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Instagram @RenegadeReporter and Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Apple Valley Fire District recognizes life saving heroes