SANDY HOOK —
Andrew Hayes appreciates the honors and awards he’s received for his response to two medical emergencies at Little Sandy Correctional Complex.
The corrections officer from Carter County makes a point of saying he was merely the first team member to arrive at each scene.
Most recently, Hayes, 34, was recognized with fellow corrections officer Chris Boggs by the Kentucky Council on Crime and Delinquency with a Hero Award for his actions when an inmate experienced a cardiac emergency. Hayes said he was well trained for the situation when the time came to use his lifesaving skills.
“The first time I ever gave CPR was back in February. It’s a different feeling. You really don’t think about it ... you just kind of do it,” he said, recalling the medical-emergency call for an aging inmate in a recreation area, before noting everyone who works at the correctional complex is well-trained for such situations. Hayes said each medical emergency calls for a different response, explaining he did not know if the sick man had a heart attack, seizure or other health problem. Once at the scene, Hayes followed his training and was happy to see the inmate was alive before being loaded up and shipped out to a hospital.
Hayes said he appreciated the recognition which followed, including immediate praise for a job well done from Warden Joseph Meko and numerous supervisors. “That always makes you feel better,” he said with a smile before emphasizing he probably could not have done it alone, even though he is trained for that circumstance. Hayes said Boggs provided crucial support for the sick inmate by giving “rescue breaths” between chest compressions, and also credited the efforts of other LSCC team members who responded.
The corrections officer said it was a scene he never expected to be repeated, although it happened again recently when another inmate had a heart problem in another recreation area.
“You know, I never dreamed it was happening again,” he said. “You just react. It’s just reaction. The training they give us here - that helps a lot.”
Once again, Hayes said he is far from being the only person who should get a pat on the back for the quick reaction to a medical emergency.
“I wasn’t by myself on either one of those. I just happened to be the first one there,” he said. “There were probably 20 people who responded to the last one. If it wasn’t for them ... there’s no way I could do it myself. We are trained to do it by ourself but it is a lot easier when somebody else is there to help.”
Hayes grew up in Boyd and Carter counties and graduated from Rose Hill Christian School in 1995. He has worked as a corrections officer for the past four years, with accomplishments including his role as a member of the honor guard as well as the Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT), work as a firearms instructor and a first-aid and CPR instructor.
Hayes said his greatest reward for his actions came from when he was visiting the second inmate he helped save.
“When I walked into the room his face kind of lit up. He smiled and said ‘Thanks for saving my life.’ That was probably one of the best feelings that I’ve gotten out of it,” he said, adding he shared a Christian message with the hospitalized inmate before they parted company.
While Hayes’ actions have been declared heroic, he said what he did was just part of the job, as well as being the right thing to do.
“I just hope somebody returns the favor for me some day if it ever comes to it,” he said.
TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.
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