By MONROE ROARK
Staff Writer

The personnel of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services are trained to be ready at all times for any situation. But occasionally a dire situation develops right in the station, without a 911 call, as a would-be victim can even appear at the front door.

Katherine Mangum, 77, was eating a hot dog at her home in south Fayette County Oct. 15 when she began having trouble breathing. Her husband put her in their car and drove about two miles to Fire Station 5 on Ga. Highway 85, where Bobby Haydon and Jason Davis happened to be on duty.

As the car pulled up to the station with the horn blaring, the two paramedics went outside to see what was the problem. Mrs. Mangum was able to walk in on her own, but both men knew something was wrong.

At the instruction of the firefighters, she tried to cough up the obstruction, but that actually lodged it more securely in her airway until it was completely blocked. When one of the men attempted the Heimlich maneuver and it failed, she became unconscious.

Haydon and Davis laid her out on the floor and, working as a team, kept her head properly positioned while performing abdominal thrusts to dislodge the food. That worked, and Mrs. Mangum began breathing again and finally woke up.

She was taken to Fayette Community Hospital as a precaution, but the hospital checked her out and released her that same day. She returned to the station the next week to thank the men who saved her life.

A few walk-ins have appeared at other times at Fire Station 5, for minor injuries or heart trouble, but never anything like this, the men said.

Both paramedics pointed out that they used no advanced procedures during this incident, but anyone with basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation training could have done the same thing. This is a prime example of the importance of all citizens learning CPR, they said.

When someone begins choking and no one knows CPR or it doesn't work, the next step is to call 911, the men added. Although this situation worked out for the best, the Mangums could have driven up to an empty fire station, as all other personnel were on a call and Haydon and Davis had returned shortly before.

It is recommended that those who wish to be trained in CPR take a class every two years. For information about the availability of such training in this area, call the FCDFES or the Fayette County Recreation Department.