JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
In the heat of the moment, nerves and the pressure of high-stress situations may interfere with the effectiveness of performance of important tasks. That was not the case for 11th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, Matt Brady on Oct. 12. He utilized his training under pressure to successfully save a life, and in this case, give an infant back a lifetime.
"The station received a call at 8:23 p.m., Oct. 12 for an infant child that was not breathing in base housing," said Tech. Sgt. Jonta Paten, 11th CES fire station captain.
Brady and Paten quickly drove to the base home, where they saw a mother in the yard, frantic.
"Paten began talking to the mother and neighbor to see what happened, and I went in immediately and started assessing the child right away," said Brady. "The child was showing signs of troubled breathing and there was an airway obstruction, so I began to administer back blows."
Back blows are used to clear an obstructed airway before CPR is administered. As they waited for the ambulance, Brady continued to use these life saving techniques until they arrived.
"I was nervous," said Brady. "I am always nervous, especially when a small child is involved. I just focused on doing what I had to do in order to keep the baby alive all the way to the hospital. Once the ambulance arrived, I grabbed the child, jumped on the ambulance as soon as it stopped and told the medic 'I need you to take me to the hospital now.'"
He continued to administer first aid while in the emergency vehicle, but the child was still showing very little signs of life.
"There was a little breathing but the child was not crying, and that is abnormal for a child," said Brady. "If the child is crying, it's a good sign. In this case the child was not crying and appeared to be in shock."
Once they arrived at the hospital, the doctors took over. They were able to completely clear the child's airway and stabilize the child.
"In the almost nine years that I have been in this career field, this is the best feeling I have ever experienced about my job and what I do," said Brady. "Now, that child is going to get a chance to grow up."
At the end of the night, everyone was happy. They'd all overcame a crisis and both the parents and emergency services were relieved.
"It was reassuring for me that we were able to prevent a loss to a family and that we are able to put our training in action when it was needed the most," said Paten. "Brady's actions demonstrated the importance of our recurring training. The training he has received allowed him to act swiftly and calmly when vital seconds were on the line."