Team PUD Help Save Customer at Our Monroe Office 

Two of Team PUD’s best were hard at work at the Monroe Community Office when someone experiencing a health crisis and needing help stumbled in.

During a team meeting, the PUD’s Erin A. overheard Maurice G. say he was calling 911 when an 18-year-old man came into the office asking for help after accidentally ingesting poison. The man approached Maurice’s station and calmly said he needed help. Maurice reassured him he would be OK and called 911.

Thanks to Erin’s prior training with the Marysville Police Department, she immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation.

The two Customer Service Representatives quickly got to work to take care of the individual. Erin excused herself from the meeting, letting her team know there was an emergency but reassuring them that no employees were in danger. Erin met the customer in the lobby and began assessing his level of consciousness. She gathered critical information about the substance ingested and the amount, relaying those details to Maurice so they could be shared with the dispatcher.

Once the individual was seated, Erin remained with him, offering comfort and support while relaying information back to Maurice who stayed on the phone with the dispatcher. Their teamwork, compassion and clear thinking made a meaningful difference during a very stressful moment.

“As I looked at the young gentleman, I could tell that he was frightened,” Erin said. “I remained calm and spoke a bit slower for him. I had him sit in the lobby, and as he was talking with me, I was assessing his level of consciousness, alertness and breathing. I took his pulse as well. He also had a backpack with him, and I asked him if he had his ID. He handed me his wallet, and I took out the ID and had it ready for the paramedics.”

While talking to the individual, Erin could see drool pooling up in his mouth. She grabbed a trash can to assist the man as he was vomiting up cleaning solution he accidentally drank thinking it was juice.

Paramedics quickly arrived on scene and took over care. The man was transported to the local hospital in Monroe for further treatment and evaluation.

“The way Erin and Maurice jumped into action to help this person in distress is inspiring,” said John Hoffman, the PUD’s Chief Customer Officer. “They went above and beyond in a literally life or death situation. I am so proud of the way they calmly and compassionately handled this unique and stressful situation.”

“I’m grateful for Erin, who stepped in and used her training to support the young man until the paramedics arrived,” Maurice said. “Moments like this remind me how important it is to act quickly, and how fortunate I am to have such reliable teammates.”

“Having Maurice stay on the phone with dispatch, we were able to successfully relay all of the vital information to each other while I was in the lobby with the customer,” Erin said. “Teamwork at its finest!”