Anonymous
L to R: Donna Poulson, Latisha Boyd, Devyn Johnson, Michael Newton, Chief Luhnow (courtesy photo)
Source: Santa Barbara Police Department
[Thursday] was the third annual Santa Barbara County Emergency Medical Services Agency Cardiac Arrest Survivor Celebration held at the Santa Ynez Marriot.
Three brave survivors, each of whom suffered a cardiac event requiring CPR and advance lifesaving techniques, voluntarily shared their stories and were reunited with 911 Dispatchers, first responders, and doctors and nurses whose combined efforts resulted in a saved life. All three cases also involved citizens who performed CPR at the scene, they too were recognized for their heroic actions.
Two Santa Barbara Police Department Public Safety Dispatchers were among those recognized for their involvement in taking the 911 calls, performing Emergency Medical Dispatching Techniques, and quickly sending EMS resources to the scene.
Latisha Boyd, SBPD Public Safety Dispatcher with seven years of experience, was recognized for her contributions that saved the life of Donna Poulson. Poulson, a resident of Oxnard, happened to be in the City of Santa Barbara when she suffered a cardiac event. Donna told the audience that she had never considered herself a lucky person, but “hit the lottery that day.”
Devyn Johnson, in her third year as an SBPD Public Safety Dispatcher, was recognized for her contributions that saved the life of Michael Newton. Newton described to the attendees how he survived a major cardiac event that required CPR and multiple applications of a defibrillator by first responders.
This is the second year in a row that Johnson has been recognized at this event for a “save.”
Both Dispatchers are trained in Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD), a program that involves specially trained dispatchers providing potentially lifesaving medical instruction over the phone during the precious seconds or minutes it takes first responders to arrive on scene. In both cases the dispatchers provided assistance with CPR instruction to the citizens who called for help while rendering aid.
