DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine – A member of a Shriners marching unit
participating in the annual Dover-Foxcroft Homecoming Parade on
Saturday has the community’s emergency response personnel to thank
for his life.
Brian Mullis, EMS director of Mayo Regional Hospital in
Dover-Foxcroft said the Shriner, whose name could not be released
because of privacy issues, was successfully resuscitated after
suffering cardiac arrest along the parade route.
“The Shriners’ flag unit was actually in front of one of
our machines,” Mullis said Sunday afternoon. “While they were
marching, an older gentleman in the unit collapsed and went into
immediate cardiac arrest.”
While members of the regional EMT unit initiated immediate CPR
measures, two nurses who were in the crowd of spectators stepped
forward to assist.
“I was in the crowd watching the parade with my family when I
heard the call,” Mullis said. “I ran over to help.”
Emergency personnel used a portable defibrillator on the scene
and the victim’s heartbeat resumed, Mullis said.
He was immediately transported to Mayo Regional Hospital and
later transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center where Mullis said
doctors reported they expect him to make a full recovery.
“So it looks like this guy who basically dropped dead in the
parade will recover,” Mullis said. “Thanks to some great CPR and
response.”
Last year Dover was named an American Heart Association Heart
Safe Community based on the level of CRP training offered in the
community, the presence of at least one automated external
defibrillator and the level of advanced life support training taken
by and available from emergency response personnel.
“This was a collaborative effort by the community to get this
designation,” Mullis said. “This incident really showed the
incredible teamwork between the different people with the
paramedics, the fire department and ambulance crews working really
well together plus good 911 dispatching.”
While the bulk of the emergency response attention was on the
fallen Shriner, another crew was responding to an accident
elsewhere in the parade.
A small child fell off one of the floats, Mullis said, and
suffered minor injuries and lacerations.
“We’ve been doing this parade for 12 years and this is the
first time anything like this has happened,” he said. “We were able
to take care of both calls at the same time and still have two
crews available to cover the area.”
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