Twelve minutes . . . that’s how long Deputy Daniel Garguilo and Sgt. Tristan Burnett worked to save the life of a Lumpkin County man after he went into apparent cardiac arrest on the front doorstep of his Frogtown home last month.
“Just as he got to the doorway, he fell on his back and became lethargic and started to have difficulty breathing,” said Captain Alan Roach of the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office. “And shortly thereafter he lost consciousness.”
It was the evening of February 5 and the officers were responding to a reported disturbance call at the residence. The man, whose identity has not been released for health privacy reasons, was headed inside to get his license. But he didn’t make it all the way back in before collapsing. As soon as he hit the ground, Garguilo and Burnett were at his side.
After checking the man’s vital signs, Burnett started CPR and Garguilo ran to his patrol car to retrieve his AED or Automated External Defibrillator.
Following the instructions of the AED, they alternated administering CPR and electric shocks from the device.
“At 6:42 p.m. they started CPR,” said Roach. “EMS got there at 6:54 p.m. So they had twelve minutes. Twelve minutes is a long time to do CPR. It’s very physically taxing to do on somebody and to do it correctly.”
Burnett can attest to that.
“In the moment, it definitely felt longer than twelve minutes,” he said. “It’s not as easy as TV makes it out to be, I’ll tell you that much.”
However, ultimately what happened during those twelve minutes made all the difference for one local man.
“From what I understand through a medical source if they hadn’t have been there at that point in time, he would not have survived,” said Sheriff Stacy Jarrard.
In fact, by the time EMS transported the man to the hospital, he was awake, and while dazed, was able to talk to his rescuers.
“They transported him non-emergency,” said Roach. “So they didn’t need to turn on the lights and sirens.”
HEROES WELCOME
On a recent Tuesday, a crowd gathered in the meeting room of the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office as Jarrard presented Garguilo and Burnett with the fittingly named Life Saving Award.
“I’m thankful that they were there,” said Jarrard. “It was perfect timing.”
Later on Jarrard added that often LCSO deputies find themselves as the first responders for medical calls when they’re out on patrol.
“We do respond a lot of times even when it’s just an EMS call, not just a law enforcement call,” he said. “Because we can sometimes get there faster. And it has saved lives by having the AEDs available.”
Currently, the LCSO keeps an AED in every car while on patrol by rotating the available units between vehicles. However, Jarrard is looking to add more.
“We’re in the process of purchasing other AEDs where we would have one in every car,” he said.
When it comes to those lifesaving skills, regular mandatory training is key. And in the case of last month’s emergency, that’s exactly what kicked in for Burnett.
“Training takes over,” he said. “And it’s a lot of muscle memory.”
Though Roach indicated that saving a life often hinges on something more.
“If was definitely the right place at the right time,” said Roach. “And if there had not been deputies on the scene, it’s unknown how the situation would have turned out. But it sure is nice to have the right people on the scene.”
Meanwhile, Burnett said that he’s just thankful that he and Garguilo were there to make a difference.
“It feels amazing to be able to help give another person a chance to live,” said Burnett. “…I’m very grateful that we were able to get him back, so that he can live to see another day.”