PASCO -- Two Franklin County corrections officers are being lauded by their supervisors for saving an inmate who was having a heart attack by shocking the man back to life.
Though Scott Cram and Cynthia Taylor believe what they did was just part of their job in the county jail, Sheriff Richard Lathim will present a "lifesaving commendation" to each of them this week.
The honor -- which includes a certificate, a letter for their personnel file and an award ribbon that can be worn on their uniform -- is on the recommendation of jail Capt. Rick Long.
"There's not a whole lot you can do for somebody other than telling them, 'Thank you.' ... We're commending them for a job well done," said Long, who noted the survival rate for heart attacks is low because medical help often is too late. "As far as I'm concerned, they've just shown the epitome of our staff here. That they work hard, they take their job serious and they just do the best that they know to do."
Cram has worked in the jail since July 2003, and Taylor since June 2004.
The jail was the first county building to get an automated external defibrillator, or AED, an expensive device that delivers an electrical shock to a stopped heart, Long said.
"That's what made this happen. The first responders had the right tools," he said.
Long didn't want to disclose the inmate's name because of health confidentiality laws, but said the Pasco man who had been serving 90 days on a probation violation is recovering at home and is grateful to the jail staff for reviving him.
It all started at 1:15 p.m. Sept. 3 when the 47-year-old inmate, a trustee, stopped doing yard work on the courthouse grounds and returned to the jail because he wasn't feeling well and had a "bad headache," according to jail reports. The man took aspirin, followed by Tylenol. Fifteen minutes later, Taylor was sent to his pod after getting an intercom call that the man had pain in his chest and down his arms.
Once in the medical ward, Taylor and Cram showed the inmate how to use a handheld device to read his heart rate and rhythm, both of which came back regular, jail reports show. But instantly, the man slumped back on the exam table and lost consciousness, as his labored breathing slowed to a stop and he started to turn purple.
Cram and Taylor, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Shawn Miller, moved the man onto the floor. After calling for an ambulance, Cram and Taylor started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation while Miller grabbed the AED. They also were assisted by jail Cpl. Joel Bond.
The inmate started breathing on his own again after his third shock from the AED. He left in an ambulance just after 2 p.m. for Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, where he quickly went into surgery to have a stent inserted, according to jail reports.
The inmate then was released from jail custody with personal recognizance papers, and told by Long to report back to serve the rest of his sentence once his condition improves.
Cram told the Herald the officers just did what they needed to do. It was his first time using the machine, but he credits earlier training on the AED and it being "very user-friendly."
"Basically, I'm just real happy that he survived it and I'm hoping that he makes a full recovery," Cram said.
