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Rogersville woman revived after being pulled from fire improving at hospital
ROGERSVILLE — A woman who was pulled from her burning Rogersville home Friday without a pulse and not breathing before rescuers revived her was upgraded Sunday from critical to serious condition at the Johnson City Medical Center.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Friday, the Rogersville Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire at 508 Reid Terry Dr.
The RFD response time was recorded at approximately two minutes, and upon their arrival firefighters were told by a neighbor that the resident of the burning home was possibly still inside.
RFD Assistant Chief David Jackson said firefighters entered the burning residence from the front and rear entrances and found Nora Gillenwater, 67, lying unconscious on the kitchen floor about four feet from the back door.
Gillenwater was immediately removed from the house and was found to be not breathing, with no pulse.
“She was full code,” Jackson said. “They got her out and did an assessment, and she had no pulse and no respiration. The fire department started CPR, and then the ambulance came and took over CPR.
“To my knowledge she had no burns. It was all smoke inhalation.”
Gillenwater was transported by Hawkins EMS to Hawkins County Memorial Hospital and then transferred to JCMC, where she was upgraded Sunday from critical to serious.
Jackson said there’s no way of knowing how long Gillenwater was “full code.”
Only about two minutes passed between the time of the 911 call and Gillenwater being discovered.
“Apparently she was trying to get out the back door and just didn’t make it,” Jackson said. “It took us two minutes to get there after receiving the call. She could have been going down as we got there, or she could have already been down a minute or two.
“There’s no way to know exactly how long she was gone, but we were through the doors and she was found immediately.”
Jackson added, “People started screaming she was in there as soon as our guys arrived, and when they went to the back door we saw her immediately. She was completely dead, and they brought her back.”
Jackson said several firemen and EMTs were involved in giving Gillenwater CPR, and he doesn’t know for sure which one actually revived her.
She was breathing by the time she arrived at the HCMC emergency room, Jackson added.
“That counts as a save,” Jackson said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
Jackson said the living room was a total loss, the kitchen was about 75 percent lost, and the entire house received heavy smoke damage. Jackson said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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Jeff Bobo needs to check his facts. She has not improved. This story is sensationalism of a women's grim situation. She has family that is suffering. The descriptive details in this story are not necessary to report the fire. I think the fire should be reported; however, the grim details only add to the suffering of the family. I applaud those that helped. However, must they be applauded with incorrect information. I direct you to Michael C.'s comments. I think he has a point for everyone to consider.
Jackson said there’s no way of knowing how long Gillenwater was “full code.” What a gamble. Too long, and you may end up with severe brain damage. I have wondered about tattooing on my chest "DNR UNLESS you saw me fall down." I wonder how her brain is at this point? Could our ability to perform CPR and other advanced lifesaving measures actually be hurting more than doing good?
Congratulations RFD! We are so very proud to have your team as part of our community!
Way to go RFD. Great job
Donna Rowland
Wow that's wonderful. A job well done. Hope she makes a complete recovery.
Lately,good news continues to come out of Rogersville.Thanks to all involved,neighbors,too.
Great job.....!!