Madison Co. EMS team honored with “Lifesaver Award”

MAIDSON COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Some Madison County EMTs are getting some well-deserved recognition.

“Gratitude and thankfulness doesn’t even begin to describe it. How can you thank someone for saving your life?” Christopher Holmes, a teacher and coach at Woodberry Forest School, said.

A few months ago, Holmes had a heart attack while driving and crashed into a tree.

Carrie Thompson was on of the the paramedics called to the scene.

“We knew something was different when dispatch called and the bystander asked if they could have permission to pull the patient out of the car and do CPR,” Thompson said.

School staff and Madison Co. EMS are the reason Holmes is alive today.

“It’s all about timing, it’s all about community help, and like when people like that are in the community that know how to do CPR,” Thompson said.

“They kept up CPR until the ambulance got there about 13 minutes after the first call, which I think is an amazing response time,” Holmes said.

EMS Chief Noah Hillstrom says that quick response made all the difference.

“For every minute that goes by without CPR, AED, mortality, morbidity is roughly 10%,” the chief said.

The EMS team was honored Monday, May 16, with a Lifesaving Award. A grant from the Culpeper Wellness Foundation will allow the team to get 17 new AEDs.

“We’re still in the beginning phases of having that heart-safe community planning, but we want to recognize community members, responders, etc. that do a good job and have a good outcome,” Hillstrom said.

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