Search
Insights > Arnold’s First-Responder Experience Leads to Safety Improvement for Meter Services
Arnold’s First-Responder Experience Leads to Safety Improvement for Meter Services
06/13/2019
It was nearing the end of a workday in April when Ben Arnold, a meter services installer in Entergy Louisiana's Lockport district, noticed a group of people who appeared to be in distress.
"I saw a person lying on a bench in front of a house," Arnold said. "I got out of my truck to find out what was going on and saw that they were panicking. A man was on his back, unconscious, and no one knew CPR."
That's when his first-responder training kicked in. After making sure 911 had been contacted, he checked the man's vital signs and felt a very faint pulse. He began administering CPR until an ambulance arrived and chose to stay at the scene in case his assistance was needed.
"If I see something wrong, my natural instinct is to help," said Arnold, who joined Entergy in August 2017. "With my training and knowledge, I felt it was a good time to get involved."
After several minutes, a second ambulance arrived as EMTs continued their attempts to revive the 40-year-old man. Arnold found out later that he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"People who were with him said one minute he was talking and joking, and the next he was gasping for air. Then he slumped over," Arnold said. "I stopped by the house Wednesday to see how his family was doing and to ask if they needed anything. There's comfort in that."
After the incident, Arnold asked Amy Martinez, distribution line supervisor in the Lockport network and interim manager of customer service support, if automated external defibrillators could be added to first-aid equipment on all meter services trucks. She immediately acted on his request and authorized the purchase of AEDs for the meter services fleet.
"Ben is a very conscientious employee and ardently embraces our safety culture." Martinez said. "I'm humbly gratified to witness how Entergy's training has taken root in our employees, as demonstrated by Ben's heroic effort."
"My Entergy training has been the most thorough I've ever received for learning how to use life-saving techniques in emergency situations," Arnold said. "Having AEDs on our trucks will give us another tool to improve our first-aid capabilities."
