12-year-old Upper Darby girl proves to be a real life saver
We extend our condolences to the family and friends of the Delaware State Police trooper who was shot and killed in the line of duty Wednesday. The slain officer was a shift mate of Delaware State Police Cpl. Demi Moore, who is the daughter of Lower Chichester Police Sgt. Larry Moore.
It’s called the Chain of Survival — five links of effort that, combined, has saved countless lives.
Upper Darby Police Capt. Thomas Johnson’s extensive resume includes serving 30-plus years as a ranking firefighter and paramedic in East Lansdowne. He’s very familiar with the concept.
Earlier this week, when 12-year-old Claire Lin arrived home from school and found her 44-year-old aunt unresponsive, Johnson said the fifthgrader’s immediate call to 911 set off the chain reaction that ensured the stricken woman received swift medical attention.
“Claire took care of the first two links of the chain,” he said. “She noticed a problem and she called for help.”
Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said the young township girl’s role was pivotal and he praised her presence of mind during a crisis.
“She knew 911,” he said.
It was about 3 p.m. Monday when Upper Darby police received a call for an ambulance being dispatched to a residence on Merwin Drive based on a child’s call that she couldn’t get the woman to wake up.
Johnson, who just pulled into his spot in the parking lot of the police station, was mid-sentence in a phone conversation with a MADD member when he heard the dispatch. He abruptly ended the phone conversation and headed to Merwin Drive, which is located behind the police enough to call station.
About a minute later, Johnson was at the scene. Claire was standing outside in the driveway and directed Johnson. He was glad she was there because it saved him precious time from having to decide whether to approach by the front door or the side door.
“She was outside and pointed to the side door and took me right upstairs,” he said. He immediately began CPR on the girl’s aunt.
“I just did CPR. It’s a first-responder scenario for me,” the captain said. He also called for the police department’s defibrillator, but paramedics from Delaware County Memorial Hospital arrived so swiftly behind him that it was not necessary. They brought their own.
Talking about the chain of survival, Johnson proceeded to loosely describe three additional links behind noticing a problem and calling for help: Performing CPR; enlisting advanced support by EMTs or other professionals; the ER department.
Following Claire’s efforts, Johnson said, “I took care of the third link and the professionals from the paramedic unit and the Upper Darby fire department took care of the fourth link.
“Right now, the patient is at the fifth link of the chain, (the hospital). We are just hoping and praying that she does well,” he said. As of Wednesday afternoon, the woman remained in the intensive care unit at Delaware County Memorial Hospital.
The supervising paramedic at the scene was Jerome Casey, while the paramedic who attended to the woman was Doug Farr, assisted by his partner, Jeff Foltz.
“These guys did incredible work,” Johnson said. Johnson is still certified as a paramedic but is not active.
“This was a total team effort, from the medics and firemen all working together to try to save a life. But none of that is even possible unless Claire did what
LIFE >> PAGE 8