By David Pierce
The New Hampshire Union Leader
BEDFORD, N.H. 鈥� No one yelled, 鈥淚s there a paramedic in the house?鈥� when a club member went into cardiac arrest at a Salem golf course last summer. They didn鈥檛 have to. There was one just feet away.
If timing is everything, the man in distress sure picked his spot. Not only was off-duty Bedford paramedic Remy Surprenant there, the owner of the club is retired Salem Fire Department Capt. Kevin Campbell. He and his facilities and project manager, Chris Cares, were also at the ready at Campbell鈥檚 Scottish Highlands Golf Course.
Using an automated external defibrillator, the three worked together to shock the man out of cardiac arrest and help him until emergency responders arrived.
The man survived and is doing well, Cares said.
Colleagues in Bedford say Surprenant鈥檚 actions were, pardon the pun, par for the course.
鈥淲hen Remy came to us, we could tell that he is a medically minded person. In the world of EMS, this is an indisposable asset. Remy has also proven to be community-driven. He values the community he serves, and he has gotten involved beyond the department level. He represents the department and Local 3639 well,鈥� said Bedford Fire Chief Scott Hunter, who retires this week.
Surprenant was honored recently at the annual awards ceremonies for both the Bedford and Salem fire departments. In addition to taking home his two EMS Life Saving Awards, he was named Bedford鈥檚 EMS Provider of the Year.
鈥淭his was off shift and out of town, but he witnessed a cardiac arrest where he stepped in and provided immediate aid, CPR, and had a successful outcome,鈥� Bedford Town Manager Rick Sawyer said at a Town Council meeting recently.
The 31-year-old paramedic/firefighter is a Merrimack resident who is coming up on his four-year anniversary in Bedford. He said he was grateful for the recognition, but he was just doing his job even if he was on another job at the time.
鈥淚 was actually there on one of my other jobs,鈥� said Surprenant, who was working at a booth for Prime IV Hydration & Wellness during the 30th-anniversary celebration for the golf course. 鈥淪omebody said, 鈥楬ey, there鈥檚 a guy in the clubhouse who鈥檚 down.鈥� So, I went and checked it out and he was on the ground. It looked like he was seizing.鈥�
Cares ran to get the defibrillator, and the three men saved his life.
鈥淎fter a couple minutes of CPR, we decided to grab our in-house AED,鈥� Cares said. 鈥淥nce we put him on the pads, it told us to give him a shock. So, we stepped back and gave him a hit. And, you know, luckily, he came back to life, and we had him fully alert and almost sitting up by the time the Fire Department arrived.鈥�
The man was lucky, Surprenant said.
鈥淪tatistics on cardiac arrest are generally unfavorable,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e had the right people there. He had the right equipment there, and what was happening was reversible.鈥�
Finding his way
From an early age, Surprenant knew he wanted to be a paramedic while growing up in a blue-collar family in Littleton, Mass.
鈥淚 grew up in a fire station,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y father was an on-call firefighter in the town I grew up in. We didn鈥檛 really have full-time firefighters. They were all on-call. There was a big bell on the top of the fire station you could hear from the backyard. My dad would get off the tractor and leave.鈥�
His father started a youth Explorer Firefighter program in their community, and when Surprenant was old enough, he attended the fire academy, got his certifications and worked as an on-call firefighter and worked toward becoming an EMT. He worked in Lowell and Haverhill, Mass. , where he eventually became a paramedic. By that time, Bedford had an opening, and he pounced.
Future plans
Surprenant lives in Merrimack with his wife. The two of them have been together for 15 years.
鈥淪he鈥檚 earning her master鈥檚 for occupational therapy right now. She鈥檚 almost done. Once that鈥檚 done, it鈥檚 family time,鈥� he said.
In addition to his job in Bedford and at Prime IV, Surprenant also teaches paramedics and advanced EMTs in Manchester.
As he continues to sharpen his firefighting skills, he鈥檇 like to climb the ranks and take on more leadership duties.
鈥淚 definitely want to be an officer someday, but that also entails me getting expertise in a plethora of other things,鈥� he said. 鈥淟uckily, I鈥檝e only been at this for four years, so I have 21 years to go figure it out.鈥�
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