‘A terrible mistake’ - Islander’s life saved, but Lee 911 comes under fire from Boca Bay

Quick thinking by bystanders and a nurse are credited in saving the life of island resident, George Baker, after he collapsed on the tennis court of the Boca Bay Pass Club last Thursday, March 13.

But Boca Bay officials have criticized the way the episode was handled by Lee County 911 dispatchers, characterizing it as “a terrible mistake.” They are questioning why it took an ambulance more than 20 minutes to respond.
At about 11 a.m., George Baker was playing tennis at the Pass Club when he collapsed. Those on the court near him realized he wasn’t breathing. Don Harris, who was on the island visiting Jim and Larry Wilson, was in between sets when he heard the commotion.

“I was a few courts away, but I turned around and saw George motionless on the ground,” Harris said. “I ran over, checked his vital signs and found none. I had to think back to my CPR training from Boy Scouts then.”

While another player, Gina Riddiford, held George’s head, Harris performed cardio-pulmonary resusitation for what he said was about 10 minutes. Then Candi Nicoll, a registered nurse and the fitness director of the Pass Club, arrived with a device designed to administer an electric shock.

The devices are portable and can be used to determine whether or not the patient requires defibrillating. If it determines that a charge is necessary, it releases a spurt of electrical energy to the heart.

Nicoll-Martin said that there are three defibrillators, known as AEDs, at the Pass Club: One in the fitness center; one in the clubhouse; and one at the Boca Bay Power House. They were purchased about eight years ago, and while this is the first time that she has had to use one of them, they have already proven to be invaluable.

“Carolyn (Gumula) found me in the fitness center and told me to grab the AED, because there was a man down on Court 7,” she said.

What happened next was recounted by George himself.

“As you may surmise, I wasn’t conscious for part of the time,” he said. “I was playing tennis, collapsed, and went into cardiac arrest on the tennis courts. While Gina and another man were doing CPR, Charlie Rice ran and told Carolyn (at the tennis club). While she was doing that she alerted Candi, the director of fitness for Boca Bay, that somebody was down on Court 7. Candy has control of the defibrillator that is kept in her part of the fitness center, so she grabbed it and ran, I’m told, at top speed to the court. She cut my shirt off and gave me a quick shave on the chest, put the pads on, hit the button on the defib. It shocked me but didn’t revive me, so it automatically shocks again. The second worked.”

George’s wife, Renae, said that the quick response of the people at the club saved her husband’s life.

“Candi’s fast and very professional response was essential in saving George’s life,” Renae said. “But there’s clearly a problem with 911. Fortunately, we had somebody to save George’s life and it didn’t matter when the ambulance got there.”

According to Lee County Dispatch Supervisor Noel Bruckerl, there was confusion in the radio room in Fort Myers where Boca Grande 911 calls are taken, as to whether this call was the same call that came in at the same time nearby at 500 Gulf Blvd.

“Our first 911 call that came in for 770 Gulf Blvd. (the Pass Club) for a man down,” she said. “We received a second call a few minutes later from the same location for a possible cardiac patient. We also received a call at the same time from 500 Gulf Blvd. for a possible stroke.”

Bruckerl said that the Boca Grande ambulance received the first call at 11:11 a.m., after dispatchers realized that two completely separate calls had come in. She said that it only added to the confusion that the person calling from the Pass Club was not on scene with the patient, and was only relaying information from other people.

“It’s not uncommon to get several calls on one incident,” she said. “And, unfortunately, not everybody knows what’s going on. We had one call come in as a stroke, and another that came in as a man down. They can be construed as the same thing … that could be the confusion.”

In an email sent to Boca Bay residents, Boca Bay Association manager Sue Najar defined the incident as “a terrible mistake,” and that “the error was currently being reviewed internally for necessary action.”

Bruckerl would not comment on whether the case was still under review with the Lee County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center.

According to the official run sheets from Lee County 911 Dispatch, the Boca Grande Fire Department and the Charlotte County Rescue 14 unit, the timeline went as follows:

• At 11:03 a.m. Lee County 911 Dispatch received a call for a possible stroke victim at 500 Gulf Blvd.

• At 11:03 a.m. Lee County 911 Dispatch received a call at 770 Gulf Blvd., The Boca Bay Pass Club, for a “man down.”

• At 11:06 a.m. Lee County 911 Dispatch received a call at 500 Gulf Blvd. for a stroke victim.

• At 11:06 a.m. the Boca Grande Fire Department heard the tones for them to respond to the call at 500 Gulf Blvd. A fire truck and the ambulance were dispatched (fire engines respond to medical emergencies not only because they have a certain amount of equipment on the truck that can be useful, but also because all firefighters are trained to the Emergency Medical Technical level).

• At 11:06 a.m. a second call for medical assistance was received by Lee County 911 Dispatch for a possible cardiac patient at the Boca Bay Pass Club, 770 Gulf Blvd.

• At 11:08 a.m. Lee County 911 Dispatch received another call from the Pass Club, 770 Gulf Blvd., for a heart attack victim. At the same time, the first responding units arrived at the 500 Gulf Blvd. location.

• At 11:12 a.m. the ambulance arrived at 500 Gulf Blvd.

• At 11:13 a.m. the Charlotte County ambulance at the Placida substation was toned out for mutual aid at the Pass Club, 770 Gulf Blvd.

• At 11:24 a.m. the Charlotte County ambulance arrived at the Pass Club. At that time George was conscious and somewhat responsive.

While George and Renae are relieved that George is resting at home after having three stents put into his heart, they are still a little nervous about what could have happened, had everything not gone as perfectly.

“We’re sort of in recovery mode around here right now, we’re not up to taking someone to task,” Renae said. “The guys (the paramedics), once they did get there from Placida told me he was stable, and they were very good. They didn’t know where the Pass Club was, they didn’t know the directions.” She paused for a moment to consider the unthinkable, and slowly said, “The guy when we got into the Sarasota ER, the doctor he was assigned to, said that three to nine percent of people live through this type of event. George had a three-way bypass seven years ago, but we didn’t know he was going to drop dead on Thursday morning. I was walking on the beach when I heard the sirens go by … little did I know it was my husband.”