Humeston First Responders

“We have to keep our medical supplies clean, so we store all of them in a refrigerator,” says Humeston First Responders Co-President, Susie Gibbs. The First Responders had an old refrigerator before, but it finally stopped working. Not only does the new refrigerator have a tight seal to keep dust out, it is also located in the garage, right next to the ambulance.

Iowa Select Farms is proud to assists Humeston First Responders in purchasing a brand new refrigerator and a laptop with a $940 Community Care Grant. “We appreciate the grant very much,” Susie says. “It’s nice to have somewhere to keep our supplies that we know they will be clean and ready for use at a moment’s notice. “

The refrigerator is plugged in and set to a low setting to ensure supplies do not become moist or misty, and most importantly, is out of the way from dust fire trucks may bring in. First responders receive around 70 calls a year, sitting between four counties. They work closely with hospitals in Corydon and Chariton.

“We are not a transportation service event though we have an ambulance,” says Co-President, Butch Gibbs. “We go to the scene and do what we can until a transportation ambulance can get there.” Both Susie and Butch explained that many of the calls they are called on, they just have to keep the patient stable. But then there are the ones where they make a difference between life and death, like the night Butch coded.

“I’m a formerly dead person,” he says. Butch had a sudden cardiac arrest in his home and Susie, along with members of the Humeston First Responders team, waited with him for close to 30 minutes until an ambulance arrived. “Our biggest thing is teaching others how to do CPR and us an AED,” Susie says.

Though the Humeston First Responders and Humeston Fire Department are two separate organizations, they share a garage. And most importantly, work together as a team to support one another and the community when needed.

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