First responders put training into practice

From Staff Reports

At a North Carolina lake to practice diving, a group of Darlington County first responders put their emergency training to use when a “distressed” diver needed help.

Eight members of the Darlington County Fire District and the Emergency Services Department recently were attending diver-certification training at Fantasy Lake SCUBA Park in Wake Forest, N.C., according to Molly Odom, the county’s Emergency Management coordinator.

DCFD Lt. Nick Newton was certifying five to be rescue divers, Odom said in a news release. Two others attended as aides to the instructor.

After the first day of training, they were at their campsite, Odom said, considering their plans for the evening. Meanwhile, two nearby recreational divers — a father and son – saw a diver in the lake who seemed to be “distressed.” The son began to help the diver and the father went to the Darlington County team for help, Odom said.

All the Darlington County team quickly went to aid the diver, who “was showing signs of being in distress through excitement and rapid movement.” They performed a medical assessment and began to provide first aid until local paramedics could arrive, Odom said.

Once out of the water, she said, the diver “was still combative.” The diver apparently was suffering from some kind of pre-existing medical problem, Odom said.

The Darlington County rescuers were William “Mikey” Burdick (Fire), David Dew (Fire), Heather Lewis (Fire), Justin “Pookie” Mays (Fire/EMS), Dustin Munn (Fire/EMS), Nick Newton (Fire), Parker Payne (Fire) and Chris Teal (Fire).

Darlington County Fire District Chief Ricky Flowers and Emergency Services Director Kenny Bowen expressed pride in the rescue.

“It was favorable to have these members in the right place at the right time. I am proud of how they continue to train. Anyone in Darlington County should feel fortunate to know we have a group this capable to respond to any emergency,” said Flowers.

“We have a wonderful group of people in Darlington County,” said Bowen. “They put in a lot of extra effort to be ready to answer calls for help.”

Author: Stephan Drew

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