Today was "Colts and Coats". The Salvation Army, in conjunction with Tuchman Cleaners and Channel 13 television, collects "gently used" children's coats for cleaning and redistribution to children in need of winter coats--and a major collection point is a home Colts game in Indianapolis. Today was the day. SATERN radio operators work the event, providing communications to various sites around the RCA Dome. It works well.
Today, we had Harold K9PZ (and wife), working Twelfth Man Alley because he has season tickets and would be in that area anyway; Travis KC9HNS, who was riding with me; Bill KG9QJ (and wife) working as net control at Gate One; and me as a floater. We checked in with the Volunteer Coordinator at 1:00 PM and knew we would be let off the hook along about 4:00 when the kickoff occurred. It was hot--probably a record-breaker for Indiana in October--about 90 degrees. Unfortunately, no one in TSA thought to bring water for the volunteers...and there didn't seem to be the usual street vendors anywhere around!
I was sitting on a concrete landscape barrier at Gate Two, talking to the volunteers there. toward the end of the deal. We were going to be shutting down the operation in ten minutes. I heard a female voice talking to Bill on the repeater we were using. I had a little trouble understanding her, but it did get my attention because **I** was the only female on the net. Finally, I heard Bill repeat what she was saying: Harold had fallen and was hurt, and needed medical attention. (The woman was a TSA volunteer who was taking coats near Harold's station. I applaud her for getting on the radio and letting us know, even though she is not a radio operator!) The 911 call went out. I reached Harold before the paramedics. (By his last transmission, I could tell that Travis was running in the same direciton.) Harold was on his back on the ground with his head resting against a moving blanket against a concrete barrier. He was conscious, saying he was okay but that he had gotten lightheaded and passed out, falling over backward. He had bloodied a few places. A couple of people were tending to him. One woman official had his cell phone and was calling Joann (his wife, who was already in the dome at her seat)--to no avail. (It was loud in there. I doubt she could hear the phone!) Finally, we had to send a Dome employee into the stadium to get her. (She said later that the minute the guy approached her, she knew why.) While she was making her way back out of the Dome, the paramedics came to look him over...then the Wishard Hospital ambulance. The ambulance personnel got him up and into the air conditioned vehicle while waiting for Joann. When she finally arrived, she determined that SHE would take him to the hospital, but in Hendricks County.
As it turned out, Harold's blood pressure was way too low...and his blood sugar was high. Compounded with the heat, he just keeled over. He is taking BP medication that is working too well.... The hospital did some workups on him and finally let him go home, but he is following up with a specialist on Tuesday (an appointment already established before this all happened).
I was really impressed with the personnel that assisted with Harold's emergency today. Dome personnel were super-attentive, as were by-standers. After they all left to take him for medical care, we had at least a mile walk to our vehicles. I think I worked blisters on my feet! The grandchildren had arrived by the time I got home.
Colts won. Back to work tomorrow. <sigh>
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