UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
MARYLAND FIRE AND RESCUE INSTITUTE
BULLETIN APRIL - JUNE VOL.55 NO.2
EMS STUDENT PUTS SKILLS INTO PRACTICE DURING FAMILY MEDICAL EMERGENCY In late February, 20-year-old EMS student Jessica Sines was in the backseat of the car with her parents traveling on Route 340 in Frederick. Her father David was driving and eating and her mother Mary was in the front passenger seat. During the drive, Jessica quickly realized her dad was experiencing a medical emergency. She didn’t know if he was choking but she did know he wasn’t responding. “He was fully out,” said Jessica. “I told my mom that she had to take control of the car.” Jessica’s mother managed to steer safely onto the shoulder of the road. As soon as the car stopped, Jessica sprang into action. She assessed her father’s condition and quickly called 911. “I knew he wasn’t breathing, and he had no pulse,” she said. Unable to move him from the vehicle, Jessica thought fast. She reclined the driver’s seat to gain better access and began performing chest compressions while staying on the line with the dispatcher. “They assured me they wouldn’t hang up,” she said. Within minutes, emergency crews arrived. The EMTs took over CPR and placed an airway to help David breathe. “I sat in the front seat of the ambulance while they worked on him,” Jessica said. “There was fear he might code again.”
At the hospital, David underwent a cardiac catheterization and received an Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD) to monitor and regulate his heart rhythm. “He’s doing much better now,” said Jessica. “He had stents placed previously, but this was the first time he went into cardiac arrest.” Jessica had recently completed the Critical Trauma Care course for nursing and the first module of her EMS training. She has also been a volunteer with the Brunswick Fire Department since she was 19. photo: EMS student Jessica Sines was surrounded with supporters as she accepted an award from Brunswick Fire Department Lieutenant Steve White. Pictured L to R: Jessica’s mom, Mary Hagan; her father, David Sines; MFRI EMS instructor Cassie Goodman; Lieutenant Steve White, and Brunswick Firefighter Anthony Smothers. continued page 5