08/05/2026
Earlier today, 8/4/26, our team had the honor of reuniting with an amazing lady who wanted to meet the team she credits with saving her life.
(Story and photos are shared with permission of the parties mentioned)
A year ago, in August of 2025, Mrs. Paula Dollens of Springfield had just left a local restaurant in Greenbrier with her husband, and her brother and sister-in-law who were visiting from out of town. Paula began to feel ill, then suddenly became unconscious. Her husband quickly pulled over on the side of U.S. Hwy 41S in Greenbrier and 911 was called. Paula’s sister-in-law is a nurse and found that Paula wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse. Mrs. Dollens was in cardiac arrest. As family members worked to get her in a position which CPR could be started, seconds became critical moments that determined survival. The American Heart Association science shows that for someone with sudden cardiac arrest, every one minute of time that passes takes away 10% of the person’s chances of survival. These are emergencies where every second truly matters.
Responders quickly rushed to the scene, with the Greenbrier Fire Department sending a total of 5 personnel, one of which was off-duty and happened to be at the station. When he heard what his colleagues were responding to he jumped in to come help. Greenbrier Fire Department began CPR as Robertson County EMS arrived on scene with two paramedics on board. The team worked quickly to provide Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Mrs. Dollens was transported to TriStar NorthCrest Medical Center.
One firefighter drove while another firefighter/paramedic rode in the back with the two EMS paramedics. En route to the hospital, the team was able to restore a pulse and restart Mrs. Dollen’s heart. She remained critical and was intubated and given medications in the ambulance to stabilize her. Mrs. Dollens went back into cardiac arrest two more times throughout the resuscitation phase of her acute illness. The Emergency Department staff and Doctors and NorthCrest ER took over care of Mrs. Dollens where she received specialized cardiac care and further stabilization.
Today, Paula Dollens, her daughter Tiffany Ellis, and her best friend, Charlene Rice, got to reunite with the Fire Dept. and EMS responders who took care of her a year ago, and saved her life. This was a powerful story and testimony shared by Paula Dollens herself as she detailed the event, applied her miraculous outcome to her strong faith life, and had an opportunity to personally thank and hug the people who responded to help her a year ago.
It was an incredibly emotional moment to see our paramedics embrace the person who they saved the life of and hear her tell them how much they mean to her and how much she appreciated their work. Mrs. Dollens told them “I’ve always prayed for you all and your safety, but now I pray even more for you and thank God for you all.”
This is our “why”…. Why we do what we do… to help everyone in their most vulnerable moments and try our best to give second chances at the gift of life. We are very proud of our team. (See photos below)
