Sascha Hildmann (right) of the Schweinfurt garrison fire department was awarded the U.S. Army Safety Guardian Award for his heroic deed July 20, 2009. Diane Devens, region director of Installation Management Command - Europe, presented the award Wedn...
SCHWEINFURT, Germany - It had been like any other night for the Schweinfurt garrison fire department. It was a warm evening and the sun was beginning to settle July 20, 2009, when the Schweinfurt crew was dispatched to a routine call. Someone had been locked out of his house. But what happened next, some may argue, was either coincidence, fate or divine intervention.
As the garrison fire truck turned onto Franz-Schubert-Strasse in Schweinfurt, a few people stood in the street and waved for the fire truck to stop, according to an excerpt from the narration provided by the victim's family. A woman waving her hands flagged down crew members of the garrison fire department, recalled Sascha Hildmann, a Schweinfurt native and one of the department's team members.
"The woman said there was a man in a vehicle with a heart attack," he said.
The firefighters exited the fire truck and found a lifeless person behind a steering wheel of a sedan.
After the fire department had placed the patient on a firm and hard surface, Hildmann checked both breathing and circulation. It was then that he determined that the patient had suffered cardiac arrest.
"He had no pulse. His face was blue," Hildmann said.
He immediately exposed the patient's chest and attached the electrodes of a mobile defibrillator. Hildmann gave artificial respirations with a BVM Bag Valve Mask, after which he resuscitated the patient with help of two electrical shocks from the defibrillator.
He continued to check the patient's vital signs, pulse and blood pressure, and turned the patient over to the rescue services upon their arrival.
The fast reaction by the fire fighting crew, and particularly by Hildmann, saved the life of the man, who suffered no permanent brain damage. According to the victim's family, the man has recovered and is doing well.
For his deed, Sascha Hildmann was awarded the U.S. Army Safety Guardian Award. Diane Devens,director of Installation Management Command-Europe, presented the Award May 26 on Ledward Barracks in Schweinfurt.
The Guardian Award is presented to Soldiers and Army civilian employees and contractors for extraordinary action in emergency situations.
For Hildmann, a man of modest words, the selfless act just comes with the territory.
"I was just doing my job," Hildmann said in response to the recognition of his heroism. "We just do what needs to be done regardless of the consequences. We were at the right point at the right time. It was no coincidence."
Social Sharing