NEWBERRY COUNTY — Two Newberry County residents and three EMS employees were recently recognized by Newberry County Council for their efforts during a cardiac arrest call.
Those recognized were, Brandon Ouzts (resident), Shyreion Thompson (resident), William (Rocky) Perry (EMS employee), Bridget Derrick (EMS employee), Alexandria Sligh (EMS employee).
Jason Hentz, Newberry County EMS director, said last time he came before council was to discuss changes coming to EMS, specifically the way they handle cardiac arrest patients and rapid response time. He said when it comes to cardiac arrest, response time is critical.
“On December 30, while at his residence, Kennan Eskridge suffered an out of hospital cardiac arrest. The crew was able to respond to his residence in about seven and a half minutes — without bystander CPR, circulating blood, (he) would have started losing function or survivability at the six minute mark,” Hentz said.
According to Hentz, Eskridge is a fairly young man, he was 45 at the time of the incident. After Eskridge went into cardiac arrest, his step-daughter, Thompson, began doing rescue breathing. Shortly after, Ouzts, a neighbor, came over and did CPR.
“Their actions led directly to the EMS crew being able to resuscitate Mr. Eskridge,” Hentz said. “Early CPR and the good Lord is what saved Mr. Eskridge.”
Shortly after the EMS crew arrived, they were able to defibrillate Eskridge. Hentz said it was the work of all these people that led them to the recognition.
Councilman Kirksey Koon presented the recognitions, saying five weeks ago, while at Newberry Hospital, he had a heart attack.
“EMS transported me to Richland, where I had quadruple bypass — this is why I wanted to present these awards tonight,” he said.
Other business:
• Council approved second reading of an ordinance to create the Mountain View Subdivision Special Tax District. On December 17, 2019, by a margin of 16-2, voters residing in the Mountain View Subdivision approved the creation of a special tax district for the purpose of maintaining the unpaved roadways of their subdivision. The approved referendum calls for a not-to-exceed $150 annual uniform service charge to offset expenses incurred by the county in providing this service. Under the South Carolina Code of Laws, the creation of a special tax district requires the adoption of an ordinance by council.
• Council approved the second reading of an ordinance of authorizing the execution and delivery of an agreement providing a grant to Project Shot. This ordinance provides for a $25,000 grant from Newberry County to a small Samsung supplier. Their investment is not large enough to qualify for a Fee in Lieu of Taxes.
• Council approved operating and lease agreements for a flight school at the Newberry County Airport. The flight school would be required to pay for hangar space and provide the appropriate insurances and other credentials to operate a flight school.