Band of life-saving brothers

Members of the Roseboro Fire Department were heralded as heroes by one of their former firefighters, Hugh Herring, whose life was saved thanks to quick action after he unexpectedly collapsed from cardiac arrest.

The event unfolded during what seemed like an ordinary night inside the Roseboro Fire Department. The town had just finished celebrating the annual Christmas parade, and fire crews were wrapping up the day, putting away the fire truck used in the parade.

Among those helping was a retired, yet still active, Herring,who was making his way back inside the station when a heart-stopping moment befell the fire department.

“We had just got back from the Christmas parade,” recalled Lee Coleman, Roseboro fire chief. “We were backing in and getting everything off the trucks, and he (Herring) was actually down there watching the parade. As we were standing there getting everything in, that’s when he walked up and collapsed. I remember as he was getting closer he was hanging over and tired, but I just figured it was because he walked a long ways, none of us was expecting him to collapse.”

Coleman said he, along with many of the other firefighters, immediately went into action performing CPR right after Hugh’s fall. That went on for four minutes, Coleman said, and, in that time, Herring had actually died.

Thanks to the swiftness of firefighters, they were able to retrieve one the AED defibrillators from a fire truck to shock Herring back to life.

“When I started the compressions, all I could remember is hollering for Chris Jackson, my assistant chief,” Coleman explained. “All I could say was ‘Chris,’ I didn’t know what I wanted him to do in that moment but I knew I wanted him to do something. Chris ended up calling 911 on the radioa and while that was going on it gave our guys time to go grab an AED off the truck.

“When it got to us, I helped the two boys with the AED, and one of our guys, Allen Sessoms, took over compressions. That gave us time to shock him back to life while we called EMS. They came, got him and took him to Cape Fear, where he stayed for about a week.”

The entire situation lasted a brief moment, but what they were able to accomplish, the fire chief said, was what they all agreed was the difference between life and death.

“If he had been home and we then had to call for rescue, he would not have made it,” stressed Milton Sessoms, with the Roseboro Fire Department, and one of those who assisted during the incident.

“The closest rescue was stationed in Salemburg, I think, but they were on call somewhere else,” interjected Coleman. “They had been to the parade and then got a call but it was canceled so they weren’t too far out. They got here within eight minutes, but the reason he survived is because it happened right here at the station.”

Eight minutes may not be long but for those there that day, they said it felt like an eternity.

“It was a nightmare, in kind of a weird way. I’ve know Hugh forever, he’s like a daddy to me,” Jackson attested. “Situations like these are already bad enough if you have to go tend to somebody out there in the public. But, it hits home harder if it’s somebody you really know and you’re now accountable for trying to save their life. In that moment, it was like time slowed down.”

For Sessoms, who took over Herring’s lifesaving CPR, what came to mind then was shock, but despite that, his training came to him.

“All I can say was it was like a big shock when it happened,” he said. “That’s when your training kicks in, and I remember just going over their and immediately started doing compressions.”

“What also helps drastically, is when it happened there was no waiting,” Milton added. “Me and Lee instantly rolled him over and we noticed that his tongue had rolled back, and then we immediately started working on him.”

While it was a tense moment with a person’s life hanging in the balance, Coleman said there was an important lesson everybody can learn from this situation — the need for knowing CPR.

“This moment shows the importance of knowing early CPR and even early defibrillation,” the fire chief stressed. “A lot of people don’t like to do CPR because they think of the mouth-to-mouth component. I’m a CPR instructor and I can tell you that we don’t teach that anymore, nobody does that. We don’t teach it unless it’s like an infant or your own child.

“So in intense situations like this one, if somebody would just do chest compressions, then there’s enough oxygen in the body to circulate around until the paramedics can get there, or somebody with an AED that can shock them. If you just let them lay there and don’t do anything, then in four to six minutes, you’re gonna start losing brain cells and they don’t come back.

“Luckily, he was here, and somebody else was here that could start CPR and use the defibrillator on him,” Coleman added.

That sentiment was shared by his colleagues who also agreed the most important takeaway was the need for the public to become more knowledgeable of CPR.

“I think everybody should know at least the basics of CPR because you never know when it could be needed,” Jackson said. “I mean that seriously, you could simply be at home eating dinner with your family and something like this could happen; you just never know.

“Just imagine, if you go somewhere like a Walmart and there’s somebody there that collapses, like Hugh,” he added. “In that moment of time just doing CPR, that can help save a person, if you know what to do and are able to do it.”

If Jackson’s words weren’t enough, he recounted an exact situation he’d experienced at a Walmart that saved the life of an infant.

“I’ll give an example on how knowing at least the basics can make all the difference,” he stressed. “I was at Walmart one day and there was an infant that suddenly went in cardiac arrest. I remember standing there talking to another firefighter from Salemburg Fire Department. As it was happening, I bet there was 25 people around just standing there but we were able to get down there and bring that baby back until rescue got there.

“Had we not been there, just think of what could’ve happen,” Jackson said. “Specially when there were that many people that could’ve helped had they only know or done just basic CPR.”

Allen agreed.

“That what’s important about knowing CPR, we were right there and just doing CPR gave us that extra second to get the defibrillator to save Hugh’s life,” Allen attested.

“The main thing is starting it just as soon as you see someone go down and don’t stop,” Milton added. “If you happen to get tired, your arms start hurting or anything like that, make sure, if someone’s around, that they immediately takeover to give you a break because once you start, you can’t stop until help arrives.”

Coleman said learning CPR isn’t as complicated as many may think, and it doesn’t require a class to learn how to apply the basics.

“The main thing people need to know, and you don’t have to go take a CPR class for this, is to push hard and fast,” Coleman said. “That’s what we teach in basic CPR classes, just hard and fast. Also, if you call 911, they will tell you how to do it. There are also apps on your phone where, if you download it, it will beep and tell you exactly when to do the compression.”

At the center of all these remarks is Herring, himself, who was present and listening in as his firefighter brothers recounted that day. He didn’t say much, aside from making some jokes about the test and medical procedures he had to endure.

When it was his turn to tell his part of the story, he said there wasn’t much he could say.

“I can’t really say much because I honestly don’t remember what happened,” Herring said, laughing. “I just remember blacking out and next thing I knew I was waking up with my head hurting from falling on my face and my chest hurting from Allen’s heavy-handed compression’s.”

“Want to know something else funny?” Coleman asked “When we finally got him out of danger, and he came to, we told him what happened and that EMS was going to take him to the hospital. How about he told us, ‘No I’ll be alright, I just need to lay here for a little a bit and I’ll be good.’

“He’s as stubborn as you can be but best believe we told him he didn’t fully grasp what had happened and that he was for sure going to hospital,” Milton added with a laugh.

The crew gave Herring the opportunity to share final remarks on all that happened, to which he simply said, “I’m glad to be here!

While he didn’t say it at that time the depth of his gratefulness was already expressed. That gratitude was written on a small scrap of paper Coleman brought out, one acknowledging his former firefighter mates as his heroes.

“Fireman you all are my hero. Your bravery and quick thinking saved my life, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Thank You, Hugh.”