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NEW YORK - A hero doesn't always wear a cape and save the day.
Some heroes simply dedicate their lives to their jobs and answer the
call to put another's safety and well being before their own. They
make a conscience choice to think of others first and when tested,
bravely and selflessly arise to the occasion. These actions are what
make a hero.
David Reynolds, a Seaman Apprentice, had been
working at Coast Guard Station Montauk, in Montauk, N.Y., less than
four months the first time he was called to assist a life. It was a
sunny, warm morning when he heard a shrill alarm sound. Reynolds and
his fellow Coastguardsman, Seaman Jordan Siegrist, were doing a
routine cleaning aboard one of the station's vessels.
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Crew members at Coast Guard Station Montauk perform vessel
inspections aboard a rescue boat, Sept. 18, 2014.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ali Flockerzi)
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“We heard this SAR alarm go off, so we both ran to see
what was going on,” Reynolds recalled. “[We were] told there
was a report of a man having a heart attack.”
The
noise from the search and rescue alarm prompted a quick
response; Reynolds and his shipmates jumped into action and
got underway on one of the station's 25-foot Response
Boat-Small vessels.
Swiftly arriving on
scene within three minutes, the boat crew approached a
recreational vessel. The words NEXT MOVE were painted boldly
on the body of the boat. Reynolds and Juan Flores, a
Boatswains Mate 1st Class, climbed aboard the vessel, which
was occupied by two mariners. A 60-year-old man was lying
unconscious on the deck; he was the one they had come to
save.
Flores began steering the boat toward Station
Montauk's pier, while Reynolds assessed the situation. The
man was not breathing and he had no pulse. Immediately,
Reynolds prepped an Automated External Defibrillator (AED),
meant to stimulate the heart to beat again. Being mere
minutes from the station, Reynolds administered only one
shock with the AED before he and some Coast Guard
crewmembers lifted the man from the vessel and onto the
dock.
“I was a bit nervous since this was the first
time doing something like that,” said Reynolds. “I just got
right in the action and did what I was trained to do.”
His heart was racing with adrenaline but his mind was
clear regarding the task at hand. Reynolds began performing
CPR. Thirty chest compressions, two breathes, and one shock
with the AED. Chest compressions. Breathes. Shock. Over and
over again. He knew he had to keep going until the emergency
medical service (EMS) arrived. Siegrist jumped in and
assisted with the compressions while Reynolds continued the
rescue breaths. Minutes ticked by and the pair didn't stop.
Thirty compressions, two breathes, one shock.
They
continued for 15 minutes until a local EMS team pulled up to
the station and took over. After all that work, Reynolds
wanted to rest easy knowing he had done all that he could in
the situation. But all he could think about was if the man
was going to be okay.
As per routine, Reynolds was
also transported to the hospital to make sure he hadn't been
exposed to anything dangerous while performing CPR. It was
at the medical center that he learned the mariner had not
survived the incident.
“I felt disappointed like
there must have been something else I could have done,” said
Reynolds. “I did my best to assist this person and save his
life. I was doing what I was supposed to be doing and I did
it to the best of my ability.”
Every day, Coast Guard
men and women put their lives on the line to help those in
need. Like this instance, some situations have unfortunate
outcomes, but Reynolds' efforts and dedication to his job
proved critical to the task at hand. By maintaining
readiness at all times and preparing himself for these types
of situations, he is the epitome of the Coast Guard's motto
Semper Paratus and ready to heed the calls of mariners in
distress.
By U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Ali Flockerzi
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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