Departments honored for saving a life

A Montgomery man experiencing cardiac arrest was saved by responders from four different agencies on December 2, 2020.

Those agencies (Montgomery Ambulance, Police, Fire and North Memorial Ambulance), and the 18 members at the scene, were recognized Saturday by South-Central Minnesota EMS Regional System (SCEMS).

A special guest at the awards presentation was the patient, Leonard “Lenny” Lingsweiler of Montgomery, and his family and friends.

Mark Griffith, Director of SCEMS, said the outcome of a case like Lingsweiler’s is rare.

“Successful outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are rare, with about one in 10 victims surviving,” he stated. “In instances where the victims survive, multiple levels of teamwork provide success. In this case, 18 responders from four agencies came together on a moment’s notice to provide efficient, effective, and (ultimately) lifesaving CPR.

Read more in the print edition.