A Lincoln Fire & Rescue crew is being recognized for its life-saving response to a critically ill child, with department leaders crediting years of training and advanced technology for the successful outcome.
During a ceremony Monday, Fire Chief Dave Engler honored the firefighters and paramedics involved, saying their performance reflects the department’s commitment to preparation.
“These successes don’t happen by accident,” Engler said. “They happen because our crews are constantly training, preparing, and they’re incredibly dedicated to the profession of saving lives.”
Engler also praised EMS Supervisor Capt. Scott Wiebe, saying his work improving Lincoln Fire & Rescue’s emergency medical services program has strengthened training and patient care across the department.
The incident began as a report of a pediatric cardiac arrest, but Wiebe said the situation changed immediately after crews arrived on scene. Despite the high-pressure circumstances, responders quickly adjusted their treatment plan.
“When you have a pediatric patient in a life-threatening situation, that raises the bar in regard to stress levels,” Wiebe said. “They were calm. They were professional. They were trained. As a result of that, there was an exceptionally positive outcome.”
The crew received challenge coins and certificates from the Handtevy Pediatric Resuscitation System, a nationally recognized pediatric emergency care platform. In a letter read during the ceremony, Handtevy founder Dr. Peter Antevy praised the crew for preparing before arrival by using the Handtevy app to calculate medication doses and equipment sizes, then successfully securing the child’s airway on the first attempt after the patient’s condition changed.
According to Antevy, the child was stabilized, transported to a pediatric specialty care facility, and is expected to make a full recovery.
“You were ready, and you delivered,” Antevy wrote.
Firefighters said the Handtevy app has become an essential tool during pediatric emergencies. Available on department-issued tablets, ambulance computers, and responders’ phones, the technology provides age-specific medication dosages, airway equipment recommendations, and defibrillation settings before crews arrive.
“It takes the stress completely out of the call,” one firefighter-paramedic said.
Responders say the app allows them to assign responsibilities and calculate medications while en route, helping them begin lifesaving treatment immediately upon arrival and improving outcomes for some of their youngest patients.
