Stricken Man Credits Trio with Saving His Life Palmetto, GA – November 18, 2011 – A trio of Coweta-Fayette EMC workers have been recognized by a state trade association for likely saving the life of a man who experienced health problems at the cooperative’s headquarters building in October 2010.
Stricken Man Credits Trio with Saving His Life
Palmetto, GA – November 18, 2011 – A trio of Coweta-Fayette EMC workers have been recognized by a state trade association for likely saving the life of a man who experienced health problems at the cooperative’s headquarters building in October 2010.
Dawn Hunter, Rusty Rainey and Darrell Sewell, all residents of Newnan, received a prestigious Life Saving Award from Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (Georgia EMC) during the association’s annual meeting in Atlanta November 14.
On the day of the incident, the employees were expecting a sales call from GRESCO Utility Service Inc. representative Jason Chandler, who arrived at the EMC’s Palmetto location feeling fine. Within minutes, however, Chandler started to experience severe health problems.
No one knew exactly what was wrong, but Hunter, Rainey and Sewell leaped to action. The trio called 911 and monitored his vitals until an ambulance arrived. Chandler was then rushed to Piedmont Fayette Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a life-threatening saddle or bilateral pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in each lung.
Chandler believes the prompt response of Hunter, Rainey and Sewell probably saved his life. They made sure Chandler got proper medical attention, checked on him at the hospital and visited him on their personal time.
“The employees at Coweta-Fayette EMC are a credit to their company and their community,” says Chandler.
According to Rainey, safety coordinator and 34-year EMC veteran, he and his colleagues don’t believe they did anything extraordinary to assist Chandler – they were just doing what they were trained to do.
“At least he was here at our site, so we could help him out,” Rainey says.
Anthony “Tony” Sinclair, CEO of Coweta-Fayette EMC, says his employees are among the best-trained in any industry.
“Safety is a top priority to protect our employees and equip them with life-savings skills they can use when the situation calls for it,” he says. “We at Coweta-Fayette EMC are proud of Dawn, Rusty and Darrell and their heroic actions to save Mr. Chandler.”
The trio was among 13 employees from five EMCs to be recognized with a Life Saving Award during Georgia EMC’s annual meeting in Atlanta. The award was established to recognize EMC employees whose quick thinking and actions are instrumental in safeguarding others from dangerous or potentially deadly situations.
“Just about every EMC employee in the state has training in CPR and first aid,” says Jim Wright, Georgia EMC Vice President of Training, Education and Safety. “Whether at work, at home or on vacation, EMC employees are ready to serve others when the situation arises. Winning an award like this tells me they’re well-trained, and it’s second nature to them. When something goes wrong, they step in and do what needs to be done.”
Georgia EMC is the statewide trade association representing the state’s 42 electric cooperatives, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp. Through this statewide network, the EMCs provide electricity and related services to more than four million people, half of Georgia’s population, across 73 percent of the state’s land area.
Coweta-Fayette EMC is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to over 74,000 member accounts in Coweta, Fayette, Heard, South Fulton, Clayton, Spalding, Troup and Meriwether Counties.
Coweta-Fayette EMC employees Dawn Hunter, Darrell Sewell and Rusty Rainey (not pictured) received a prestigious Life Saving Award from Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (Georgia EMC) during the association’s annual meeting in Atlanta November 14.
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Amy Lott