Columbia’s Chris Rogers knows the importance of being at the right place at the right time and has experienced it more than once. He also knows the importance of proper training, and it has come into use more than once as well.
The 21-year Army veteran credits those two things and God for his ability to save lives. The part-time police officer for the Columbia Police Department assists with Southern Security and Safety Solutions and is a first responder for Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, known as CPR, is a life-saving technique that many people know about, but outside the medical field it’s very rarely ever used. This past year, Rogers has used it three times to save someone’s life, including twice in March.
On March 6, Rogers was doing security duty for the Travis Clark’s concert at Wild Country Off-Road and was working in the concert building. Outside on the off-road track, a 16-year-old male was attempting to push his ATV out of the muddy water, when he was sucked under the water by the suction force of the rear tires and mud. Witnesses said he was underwater for three or four minutes. However, once people realized he was missing and underwater, calls for help were immediately made.
Rogers got the call and took a side-by-side ATV to the location. He said people were pulling the young man out of the water, and he was not breathing. Rogers began CPR on the lifeless young man. After completing two cycles of the life-saving procedure, mud and water trapped in his lungs started to become free, and the teenager regained his pulse. Rogers attended to him until an ambulance arrived and took over. The youth was taken to Greene County Hospital and later flown to Forrest General Hospital for overnight observation before being discharged the next day.
This was not the first time Rogers has used the living-saving application. The first time involved a motor vehicle accident on Williamsburg Road in Bassfield, while he was on his way to work.
“This SUV comes flipping over the hill towards me. I see the driver get ejected, and I take the ditch and turn around,” Rogers said Monday.
He started CPR on the driver and also made some tourniquets for the wounds that helped to save the driver’s life.
During the downtown Christmas celebration, Rogers had the chance to meet the driver again. After hearing Roger’s voice, the driver asked his girlfriend, “Who is that? His voice sounds familiar?” The girlfriend told him it was the man who saved his life. The driver said he had to find him again. It was very emotional for both of them.
“We both had a minute where we both were ‘wow,’” Rogers said.
Rogers credits consistent and regular training for enabling him to do what he does. Rogers knows that in rural areas, people are at the mercy of time.
“We do CPR more times than not on a failed (someone who is already deceased). By the time a rural department gets paged out, we’ve traveled the distance to get to the location; make entry into the location and start CPR, 10-12 minutes have already passed,” Rogers said.
Monday, March 6, Rogers was serving subpoenas for the police department. He said as he pulled to the location, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Instincts were telling him to call dispatch to let them know where he was. The car of the woman he was serving was in the driveway. He knocked on the door, and nothing happened. He could see the other door in the foyer was open, and a German Shepherd was standing there staring at something. Rogers knew if he could get the dog to bark, it would get the woman’s attention, and someone would come to the door. Rogers kept banging, and the dog would not budge and kept staring at something.
Rogers looked around and could see a pile of stuff on the floor. Around the items, he saw her hand and realized she was unconscious, lying on the floor. He immediately informed dispatch and requested help, and received permission to make entry. To him, it appeared to have been a drug overdose, and he started chest compressions to keep the blood circulating. Once the ambulance came, they took over her care, but she was going to be okay.
He also said, for the saves, the timing was just right. There is a critical “golden hour,” and he happened to be there within that time frame.
“It’s a miracle of timing. I guess the good Lord puts you where you are needed,” he said.
During the adrenaline crash that follows, Rogers said it feels surreal that he literally just saved a life. While the saves are wonderful and great, it is the ones that didn’t make it that stick with him.
He once did CPR on an infant and was unable to save the child, who had a lacerated liver. Although nothing could have been done, it still bothers him. He said you do your best, but you still have to face the parents. Or, for an adult, there is always someone you have to face when the CPR is unsuccessful.
Training and preparation are the best ways to be ready for whatever may happen. Rogers knows you cannot train for every scenario, but department training is very important, especially for the most common situations. It helps first responders and emergency personnel to be more mentally and physically prepared to handle the job at hand.
Rogers also credits those in the community who support the rural departments. The rural volunteer fire departments do not have the budgets for many things, and with the cost increasing on everything, makes it harder on the departments.
Regarding CPR, Rogers said you do not have to be a first responder to be certified. Anyone can get the certification to do it, and considering time can be a friend or an enemy, learning CPR is a great weapon for when the lack of time rears its ugly head. n
