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| Photo By Staff Sgt. Coltin Heller | Spc. Trevor Tompkins, a combat medic with 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard stands in front of an MRAP vehicle during a field training exercise at Fort Sam Houston in 2015. |
03.16.2018
Story by Capt. Gregory McElwain
56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division
At 12:40, Tompkins, a combat medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard ran over to the man and helped lower him safely to the ground while announcing that he was a trained medic.
“My first thought was, oh no, this guy is having a heart attack,” Tompkins said.
He shouted for someone to call 911 and asked for the Automated External Defibrillator. Instantly, Tompkins began CPR.
James Lutey, a Customs and Border Protection Officer with Homeland Security arrived shortly after Tompkins started chest compressions and rescue breathing.
“When I got on scene, he was getting out the AED and hooking it up. I assisted, but he directed everything. It was clear he was experienced.” Lutey said.
For 15 minutes Tompkins worked between the AED and CPR to resuscitate the man.
“I put my heart into this, my biggest fear was losing him,” Tompkins said. “Of course there was anxiety I did not want to lose this guy. When I was treating him, it hit close to home, because my grandfather just suffered a major heart attack the day before.”
“It was muscle memory, it worked like clockwork,” he said, speaking of his medical platoon with the 2/112th Infantry. “Last month we did CPR retraining to stay current. Being a Medic is a perishable skill. We all have civilian jobs, I am a sales [representative] for a home building company, I have no Medical practice outside of the army. When we have a drill, we train hard. There is a lot of muscle memory.”
At 12:52 Tompkins regained the pulse and the individual began breathing on his own. He rolled him over onto his side and put him in the recovery position so that he could maintain a clear airway.
“I was elated that I had restored his pulse, but I monitored him every 15 seconds. I knew I may have to start CPR again.”
As they waited for EMS to arrive, Lutey noticed that Tompkins had absolute control and maintained professionalism the entire time. “It is clear that he is well trained and is able to perform admirably in uniform and outside of his military duties,” Lutey said.
“The man was aspirating. He had a partially blocked airway so I tried to clear his airway,” he said.
No one in the gathering crowd had a suction device, so Tomkins adapted to overcome the challenge.
“I was working to create a suction device out of an eyedropper bottle and straw, but then EMS arrived,” he said.
EMS arrived at 12:57
Edward Troy, a Homeland Security Special Agent, witnessed the resuscitation and watched as Tompkins handed over responsibility and care for the man to EMS. “He used professional terminology that the EMS crew understood. If I could be one-tenth as professional and calm as he was during an emergency, I would feel lucky,” Troy said.
Special Agent Troy presented Tompkins with a challenge coin commend him for his actions.
“At the end of the day I was just doing my job,” Tompkins said. “When you see someone go down, it is just second nature. As a medic, you are the deciding factor whether or not they get to go home. I wanted to make sure that this guy went home.”
“When I was finished, I realized that a crowd had gathered,” he said.
Troy said that many in the crowd were shaking Tompkins’ hand and thanking him for his quick thinking. “He just kept saying, ‘This is my job.’ Tompkins is mature beyond his years, very calm, cool, and collected.”
