Left to right, Dick Davison (MRT), Dawn Macharelli (Paramedic), Lucy Moore, Ray Hyatt (EMT) and Jim Murphy (Driver)

Their efforts all came together for Villager Lucy Moore. she complained that her back hurt when she got up one morning last month, but as the day progressed she felt better and was about to get dressed to go out to lunch with friends when her husband John heard her say something in the bedroom. He couldn't quite make out what she said, and as he went to the bedroom he heard a bang. Lucy had fallen to the floor, unconscious.

John immediately called 911, and described the situation to the police dispatcher. The dispatcher alerted the Heritage Village Ambulance and also notified Campion Ambulance Service to send a paramedic. An unconscious patient may indicate a serous problem, and it is protocol to send a paramedic to assist the ambulance crew.

The Heritage Village crew consisted of Ray Hyatt, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); Dick Davison, Medical Response Technician (MRT), and driver Jim Murphy. Hyatt is not a villager, he works on the ambulance when there is no local volunteer available. His regular job is as a police dispatcher in Southbury, and he has been an EMT for 15 years.

From his training, Ray knew just what to do. He knew that, if a patient has fallen, you should put her on a backboard, put a collar around her neck and stabilize her head, because there could be a spinal injury from the fall. He also put Lucy on oxygen, and was beginning a full patient assessment when paramedic Dawn Macharelli arrived. She has been a paramedic for 12 years and quickly realized that Lucy's condition was serious because she could not get a pulse or blood pressure reading, which might indicate internal bleeding, so Dawn and the rest of the crew quickly got her into the ambulance and headed for Danbury Hospital at top speed, with the siren blowing and the lights blinking to clear their way.

Lucy Moore was drifting in and out of consciousness, but she remembers Dawn asking her questions. Dawn examined her and felt a mass in her abdomen, and realized that Lucy had probably suffered an abdominal aneurysm, which is a permanent distention of an artery caused by a weakness in its wall. If it bursts it causes a hemorrhage which allows blood to flow into the surrounding area. It was this internal bleeding which may have caused Lucy's blood pressure to drop sharply, Dawn realized, She called ahead to the hospital giving her assessment, and emergency room personnel were ready to treat her immediately upon arrival They alerted Dr. Michael Walker, a vascular and thoracic surgeon who was on duty, and he quickly arranged to take Lucy to the operating room. The operation went smoothly, Lucy's recovery was rapid, and when she got together about six weeks later for a reunion with the crew which was instrumental in saving her life there were smiles on everyone's faces. Lucy could not remember much of the incident and Was glad of the opportunity to meet the crew members and thank them. So was her husband John, who said he was really impressed with the speed and expertise everybody displayed in taking care of Lucy.

There it is, a story with a happy ending, but there is a broader message here. It shows how vital it is for Villagers to have their own ambulance service,. which can provide such rapid and effective emergency care. And now comes the commercial: The ambulance is always in need of volunteers to become EMTs, MRTs or drivers, so, if you're interested, call Ken Pelletier at 264-4600 or e-mail 130unit2@charterbn.com for further information.