Md. Paramedic, Sheriff`s Deputy Honored for Saving Man`s Life
CHESAPEAKE CITY — An on-duty Cecil County Sheriff’s Office deputy and an off-duty county paramedic happened to be at right place at the right time to save the life of man in cardiac arrest near Chesapeake City over the weekend.
Also in their favor: The officer, Dfc. Will Muller, had the right piece of medical equipment in his patrol car — an automated external defibrillator (AED) — that his agency had issued to deputies last year.
“Thank God we had (the AED), because it saved his life,” said Muller, an 11-year CCSO veteran who also is an EMT with the Chesapeake City Volunteer Fire Co. “Our supervisors decided (road deputies) needed medical equipment in our vehicles because we are out there all the time, responding to accident scenes and other calls where people need medical attention. This is a perfect example of why they felt it was so important to equip us with our medical bags.”
Muller was driving his cruiser southbound on Route 213 about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, when Steve Cummins, a paramedic with the Cecil County Department of Emergency Services, flagged him down near Spears Hill Road, north of the Chesapeake City Bridge.
Freshly off duty and heading home in his personal vehicle, Cummins informed Muller that he had just seen someone driving a pickup truck erratically. The truck had veered across the center line on Route 213, nearly causing a head-on collision, before turning right onto Spears Hill Road.
After driving a short distance on Spears Hill Road, the deputy noticed a pickup truck parked partially off the road. Muller walked toward the truck but, before he could even reach the vehicle, he realized that this was a medical situation, not a traffic enforcement matter.
“I’ve seen a lot of drunk drivers over the years, and this was not the case here. I could see him in his side-view mirror. He had no color and wasn’t breathing right,” Muller said.
Cummins, who had followed Muller but kept his distance during what he believed would be a traffic stop, pulled the 51-year-old man out of the truck, while the deputy retrieved his AED from his patrol car.
Then the duo went the work, with Cummins performing CPR on the man while Muller manned the AED. After roughly a two-minute cycle, Muller and Cummins switched jobs and maintained that pattern.
“Performing CPR is very tiring, very strenuous. We probably went through four (two-minute) cycles,” Muller said.
During that time, the AED pads that Muller had been placed on the man’s chest delivered three or four electric jolts, which finally put his heart back in the proper rhythm.
It was a first for Muller, who noted that the AED, when hooked to a patient and operating at its most basic capacity, provides information about the patient’s vital signs that allow a caregiver to analyze the situation.
“It’s the first time I used it to provide a shock to someone. It’s very rare to have a shockable situation,” Muller said, noting that he has used the AED several times in the past to obtain vital information about a patient.
He added, “With minimal or no training, anyone can use an AED, even a kid. We you press the power button to open the lid (of AED box), it starts giving you step-by-step directions. It talks to you. It shows pictures and everything is color coded.”
The CPR compressions alternately administered to the man’s chest by Muller and Cummins assumed the role of the patient’s struggling heart. Those life-sustaining compressions pushed blood through the man’s body, so his brain and other organs received oxygen.
And the jolts given by the AED addressed the electrical problem that put the man’s heart into fibrillation. When his heart returned to proper rhythm, there was no longer a need to perform CPR.
“Your brain sends an electric signal to your heart. For whatever reason, his heart wasn’t receiving that signal. The (AED) shocks acted as the brain’s signal and put his heart beat back into rhythm,” Muller explained.
Muller and Cummins were able to revive the man before paramedics arrived. Using a heart monitor, an even better piece of equipment, paramedics took over and then transported the man to an area hospital.
“We were just in the right place at the right time,” said Muller, who served as the agency’s CPR and AED instructor after receiving his training. “If it hadn’t been me, any deputy could have done this. The AED can save a person’s life, yet it is very easy to use.”
CCSO Chief Deputy Gerald Widdoes applauded the effort by Muller and Cummins.
“This incident in particular highlights not only the quick thinking of Cecil County’s response personnel, but also the importance of the Sheriff’s Office initiative to outfit each patrol vehicle with an AED,” Widdoes said, adding, “Paramedic Cummins and Dfc. Muller’s teamwork demonstrates the importance of the shared philosophy between the two agencies that life safety, above all else, is priority.”
Noting that county schools and some public buildings are equipped with AEDs, Widdoes encouraged members of the public to take a CPR class.
