Quick thinking saves lives
Kristen Reber
Issue date: 1/22/04 Section: News
Capt. Tony Bennett, Sgt. Tim Penwell and Officer Jim Royston of the
SIUE Police Department helped save a man's life at the East St. Louis campus.
LeVan Plocher, a Korte Construction Co. worker on the East St. Louis Higher Education Center renovations, collapsed the morning of Jan. 7 while talking with East St. Louis Higher Education Center building mechanic Jim Duval.
Responding to the emergency call placed by Duval, university police arrived to discover Plocher unresponsive.
"We are usually the first responders when we receive a 911 emergency call," Penwell said. "(That) is why have the AED (Auto External Defibrillation) and all officers are trained in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
"(When) we showed up, his pupils were fixed and dilated, no pulse," said Penwell, also a CPR instructor for the American Red Cross. "We (went) through an initial check, (and discovered) no pulse and no breathing, at which point we began CPR."
While Penwell and Royston tended to Plocher, Bennett retrieved the AED unit.
"When he arrived with the AED, we stopped CPR and applied the pads of the AED (which) automatically analyzes, it checks for electric activity. It found activity but the heart was not beating," Penwell said. "One shock was administered ... after (the second time), he had a pulse. It was weak and thready, but he was not breathing on his own.
"We administered rescue breathing, at which point he began to breathe on his own," Penwell said. "We elevated his feet, which pushes more blood to the body core."
Thanks to the quick efforts of the rescuers, Plocher became alert and aware before the ambulance arrived, approximately 20 minutes after he collapsed.
"By the time the ambulance arrived, he was lying on the floor carrying on a conversation with us," Penwell said.
Plocher was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in East St. Louis and later transferred to St. Louis University Hospital.
He was released from the hospital Jan. 10 and is recovering.
"He's currently out of the hospital. He had a stent put into his heart," Penwell said. "I talked to him ... and he's in good spirits and he'll be coming back to work in the next week or so."
While some may deem those involved in the emergency heroic, the officers believe otherwise.
"We don't consider ourselves heroes," Penwell said. "We were doing our jobs."
SIUE Police Department helped save a man's life at the East St. Louis campus.
LeVan Plocher, a Korte Construction Co. worker on the East St. Louis Higher Education Center renovations, collapsed the morning of Jan. 7 while talking with East St. Louis Higher Education Center building mechanic Jim Duval.
Responding to the emergency call placed by Duval, university police arrived to discover Plocher unresponsive.
"We are usually the first responders when we receive a 911 emergency call," Penwell said. "(That) is why have the AED (Auto External Defibrillation) and all officers are trained in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
"(When) we showed up, his pupils were fixed and dilated, no pulse," said Penwell, also a CPR instructor for the American Red Cross. "We (went) through an initial check, (and discovered) no pulse and no breathing, at which point we began CPR."
While Penwell and Royston tended to Plocher, Bennett retrieved the AED unit.
"When he arrived with the AED, we stopped CPR and applied the pads of the AED (which) automatically analyzes, it checks for electric activity. It found activity but the heart was not beating," Penwell said. "One shock was administered ... after (the second time), he had a pulse. It was weak and thready, but he was not breathing on his own.
"We administered rescue breathing, at which point he began to breathe on his own," Penwell said. "We elevated his feet, which pushes more blood to the body core."
Thanks to the quick efforts of the rescuers, Plocher became alert and aware before the ambulance arrived, approximately 20 minutes after he collapsed.
"By the time the ambulance arrived, he was lying on the floor carrying on a conversation with us," Penwell said.
Plocher was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in East St. Louis and later transferred to St. Louis University Hospital.
He was released from the hospital Jan. 10 and is recovering.
"He's currently out of the hospital. He had a stent put into his heart," Penwell said. "I talked to him ... and he's in good spirits and he'll be coming back to work in the next week or so."
While some may deem those involved in the emergency heroic, the officers believe otherwise.
"We don't consider ourselves heroes," Penwell said. "We were doing our jobs."
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