KIHEI, Hawaii — A Bay Village firefighter/paramedic put his skills to the test while on vacation in Hawaii as he helped rescue a fellow first responder during a severe storm.
The incident happened on January 27 in Kihei on the island of Maui. During a period of heavy rain, a Maui County firefighter was swept into a storm drain while responding to weather conditions that were impacting residents. Maui officials say the firefighter, 24-year-old Tre Evans-Dumaran, was found unresponsive 800 yards away where the drain emptied into the ocean.
That's when Jeremy Gillespie jumped into action. The Bay Village first responder spotted the incident from his lanai (patio) and ran over to the beach to assist. The Bay Village Fire Fighters Association posted on Facebook that Gillespie performed "life saving CPR" on Evans-Dumaran while being assisted by Maui emergency workers. Rescuers attempted to use an AED on Evans-Dumaran, but the pads had difficulty sticking on his chest due to the wet conditions. Other vacationers handed down dry towels from their lanais to assist. Eventually, his pulse was restored.
According to a Tuesday post on the Maui County Facebook page, Evans-Dumaran is in critical condition at Maui Memorial Medical Center. "He is slowly making positive and promising signs of progress. He has been in the hospital’s intensive care unit with multiple life saving measures in place."
Evans-Dumaran has been with the Maui County Fire Department for just over three years.
“We are grateful and humbled by the support of our community and send our deepest appreciation to everyone. Tre’s ‘ohana and our family of firefighters, together with our community are at his side in prayer and spirit to help him get through the difficult days ahead of recovery. He’s not out of the woods yet, but every day brings hope and every day we offer our prayers to give him strength,” said Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura.