Acadian Employees Save Future Medic`s Life

June 12, 2014-Eighteen-year-old Lauren Champagne wants to become a medic for Acadian Ambulance. But little did she know that she would be saved by the very company she wants to work for.

“Ever since she was a little girl, she’s always wanted to wear green and gold, and save lives,” Lauren’s father, Broussard Fire Chief Bryan Champagne, said.

Lauren is a member of Acadian Ambulance’s Explorer program. The morning of April 26, 2014, Paramedic Field Supervisor and Explorer Post 108 Adviser Daniel Menard was getting ready to start the day at Festival International in Lafayette, La. The Explorers were going over the day’s events when Lauren collapsed and began having a seizure.

Paramedic Field Supervisor Chris McGlynn grabbed the ALS gear and called for a unit, which was dispatched and on the scene in a matter of seconds.

“When my partner, Garrent Kent, and I arrived on scene, Lauren did not have a pulse,” Paramedic Bart Couvillion said. “After a few minutes of CPR, we shocked her, and she let out a huge gasp of air. That was a great moment for all of us.”

Arriving at Lafayette General, Lauren began posturing, a sign of an oncoming seizure, so she was put into therapeutic hypothermia and brought to the ICU. By the next day, the future medic was a bit groggy but alert, and asking a lot of questions.

“After we explained what happened to her, she thought it was all a dream,” Menard said. “I’ve never experienced a teenager go into cardiac arrest, let alone a peer, so this save really hit home for not only me but our entire team.”

Bryan Champagne said, “I’ve been in my line of work for more than 20 years. I have been in an emergency room with patients hundreds of times, but never with a member of my family, let alone my little girl. The support we received during and after the incident from Acadian really helped my wife, Monique, and I get through a very tough time. We cannot thank them enough.”

After a week in the hospital, Lauren was released and has made a full recovery.

“They are my life saviors,” Lauren said about the medics on scene. “I can’t wait to join them at Acadian and continue to help save lives.”

Since 1971, Acadian has been committed to providing the highest level of emergency medical care and transportation possible. In the past decade Acadian has expanded to include a diverse suite of divisions including Acadian Ambulance Service, Acadian Monitoring Services, Air Med, Executive Aircraft Charter Service, National EMS Academy and Safety Management Systems.