THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 3, 1996 TAG: 9612180608
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANIE BRYANT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 116 lines
THE ONLY THING Ronald Reed remembers about the night he almost died is the sound of sirens coming closer to his house and then waking up once in the ambulance.
But his wife, Jenny, remembers the whole ordeal vividly.
They had just come home from Florida, and her husband was complaining of indigestion. He took antacids, but didn't feel any better, so he went to bed.
An hour later, he was up again with chest pains, a bad headache and numbness in his arem. He told her to call 911, before losing consciouness.
Within two minutes, firefighters were there.
Jenny Reed has never forgotten how they worked on her husband, stabilizing him twice before getting him to the point he could be transported to the hospital.
``It was unreal how the young men did,'' she said, describing their quite, synchronized life-saving routine. ``Their training was excellent.''
After the crisis was over, she and her daughter both wrote letters commending the men.
``I just thank God they were here, because he wouldn't be here today is it wasn't for them,'' she said.
From Maryview, Reed was transferred to Norfolk General, where angioplasty was used to correct a blocked artery.
When Jenny Reed went back to Maryview to get her husband's clothes, hospital staff members were surprised he survived.
``They expected to read his name in the obituaries,'' she said.
``They showed me the straight line on the paper.
``It was a miracle. He just wasn't ready to go.''
But the first part of the miracle was the firefighters who showed up and got her husband's heart beating again. The same firefighters made two trips to Sentara Norfolk General to see how he was progressing.
``That was beyond the call of duty,'' she said. ``They were caring...dedicated young men.''
Reed, 64, said he doesn't remember much about their visits, either.
But he met those four firefighters again at a recent awards banquet of the Portsmouth Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services.
``It kind of gives you a funny feeling to know that someone was there (at the banquet) that saved your life,'' Reed said. ``That was the first time that I had seen them all together.''
Jenny Reed describes her husband as a man who doesn't usually show his emotions.
``But I guess to be face to face with the men...who saved his life...,'' she said. ``He's a man who enjoys life. He doesn't let a day go by that he doesn't make use of...every minute.''
So it was emotional for him and the firefighters as they met and hugged - this time on a night that everyone would remember.
Those firefighters received a Unit Citation Award. They were Fire Capt. J.B. Spicer, and firefighters S.W. Wilder, G.E. Lassiter and T.C. Edwards.
Other awards presented included:
The Firefighter of the Year award went to now retired Master Firefighter Durand Coltrane.
Billy Perkins of Portsmouth was honored for coming to the aid of firefighters and medics trying to get to critically injured accident victims.<
The victims had been thrown from a vehicle in the mud flats two miles off Victory Boulevard, a rough terrain area popular with motorcyclists and four-wheel drive enthusiasts.
Unfortunately, the area is inaccessible to emergency vehicles.
Perkins used his four-wheel drive vehicle to take emergency workers to the victims, then stayed on the scene for about an hour and a half to help.
Firefighters of the B-Platoon received Meritorious Service Certiticates for braving the Feb.2 ice storm to to answer almost 300 calls for help, including a serious structure fire in Cradock and an accident in which two people were pinned in a car.
Salvation Army Maj. William D. Davis and the Portsmouth Chapter of the Salvation Army were honored for taking on the same winter storm to get to their building and cook a hot meal for those firefighters.
Lisa Noel, an Emergency Services Supervisor, was honored as Paramedic of the Year.
Noel was recognized for outstanding professionalism that resulted in the improvement of patient care.
She also was credited with, among other things, being instrumental in the development of policies and procedures, as well as the training of personnel.
Capt. J.W. Alexander, Master Firefighter D.F. Clair and Firefighter W.T. Elliot received a Meritorious Service Certificate for responding to an emergency medical call to aid an elderly woman suffering from termianl cancer.
Their response, according to the fire department, resulted in her living another three days - ``days the patient's husband described as the most treasured time of the 37 years they were together.''
Lt. B.K. Harrell was recognized for helping a motorcycle rider involved in an accident while off duty.
Harrell was the first person to reach the injured man. After checking the man's injuries, he told Chesapeake police to call for the Nightingale air ambulance, then continued to help Chesapeake medics when they arrived.
Capt. M.H. Joyner and firefighters P.E. Parker and W.C. Jones received the Unit Citation Award for the life-saving medical care provided to a women who was suffering seizures as a reaction to medication used during dental treatment.
Capt. B.R. Porter and Firefighter M.F. Jackson were honored for the extensive time they put into the repair and service of the department's breathing apparatus.
Firefighter J.M. Martin received an award for having constructed map boards for three fire stations and for reorganizing or updating apartment and street finder map books, as well as prefire plans on the computer.
Firefighter A.L. Jones was recognized for his on-and off-duty work to restore a 1940s fire station sign at the Cradock station.
Battalion Chief T.E. Jenson was honored for his part organizing the first awards cermony in 1992 and his continued work on the committee, including the design of meals and commendations.
Morris Fink and Fink's Auto Service, a business on Victory Boulevard, was recognized for supplying and delivering to the fire department old vehicles to be used in training firefighters to free trapped accident victims.
The Advanced Life Support Service award was presented to 21 firefighters who have the ALS Emergency Medical Certification and have maintained that level for more than two years. < ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Portsmouth resident Ronald Reed credits firefighters with saving his
life. He finally got to meet his heroes at an awards banquet. by CNB