By Andrew Avitt, July 2022-
Tom Stokesberry walks back to his vehicle after providing first responder medical treatment to a woman who flipped her car off the road in Humboldt County, June 2022. (Photos courtesy of Jessica Stokesberry)
They put on the uniform every day. The country’s first responders, Emergency Medical Technicians, firefighters and law enforcement. USDA Forest Service too has its ranks of those that go forth into situations that put themselves at risk to help others. But even when the emergency subsides, and the uniform comes off there’s a dedication that doesn’t.
Meet Tom Stokesberry, a Six Rivers National Forest Engine Captain and Fire Information Officer, who was driving home from the Pipeline Fire, in Mesa, Arizona to Humboldt County, California, June 21, 2022. On the surface Stokesberry might seem like your average guy, a husband, father of four, likes to listen to a little ‘70s and ‘80s Country music– a Waylon Jennings, George Strait, type of guy.
But under the surface lies eight-years experience as an emergency medical technician, service as a combat lifesaver in the U.S. Army, and more than 14 years responding to wildfires. Stokesberry knows how to save lives in emergency situations. He even travels with a bag full of EMT equipment and supplies, though that is more thanks to his wife.
“My wife tells me I have to carry it because I have this tendency to be first on the scene,” said Stokesberry about his wife of 26 years, Jessica Stokesberry. “Because of her reminders, I always carry my EMT bag and pray, I never have to use it.”
So when Stokesberry exited off Interstate 40 into a rest area near Needles, California, that day, he was bringing his years of experience, training and gear to save a fellow traveler there in need.
Right after parking his truck, he saw a man stumble, fall and hit his head on the pavement. Without hesitation, Stokesberry knew what to do. He pulled his EMT bag out of his truck and got to work.
The man’s wife told Stokesberry her 75-year-old husband had a history of cardiac events. After calling an ambulance, he assessed the patient, who was unconscious and unresponsive. The man gradually regained consciousness but was still clearly impaired. He had numerous factures from his fall, plus it was 105 degrees. “I knew I had to keeping the man out of the blazing sun,” he said.
He rallied bystanders to help create shade, instructing them to go to their vehicles and retrieve blankets and large towels. The blankets provided the shade while the towels were placed under the patient to protect him from the hot ground. Stokesberry cared for the man for 40 minutes until medical help arrived. Once the man was in their care, he packed his bag and was on his way.
Tom Stokesberry provides medical assistance to a woman who was ejected from her vehicle after it flipped off the road.
It’s not often Stokesberry gets closure from these chance encounters. “It happens, you’re an EMT or firefighter and you act,” he shared. “We do the best we can, and then we go about our lives. But in the back of my mind, I’m always wondering. I wonder how that turned out for that person and hope that they are okay.”
Stokesberry received a message from the man’s wife the next day. She texted saying her husband had a few broken bones from his fall, he was doing good, and he was going to be okay. She followed with, “I’ll never forget you and that angels do walk this earth.”
Although this circumstance sounds exceptional, Stokesberry said it’s routine for him. “It’s all about timing,” he said. “I drive 44 miles to and from work on rural roads, so this happens probably six or seven times a year. I’m first on scene.” He continued, “Really it’s just being in the right place at the right time to help someone.”
True to Stokesberry’s estimation, a few weeks later, it happened again. He found himself first on the scene. Stokesberry and his wife were on State Highway 36 in Humboldt County following a car down the hilly mountain highway.
“The vehicle began to drift into the oncoming lane, and when the driver overcorrected, the car flipped four times, ejecting the driver on the second flip. She landed in the middle of the road,” Stokesberry said. “I jumped out, my wife called 911, and then I grabbed my medical bag.”
He immobilized the driver’s head, assessed vitals, and tried to decide what her status was as far as being alert and oriented. About 10 to 15 minutes passed before the first police officer and volunteer fire department arrived.
“And then weirdly enough, an ambulance enroute with another patient headed to a hospital on the coast stopped to help until the city ambulance arrived,” Stokesberry shared. “We immobilized her head, checked her spine, and we got her transported 25 miles north to St. Joseph Hospital, which has a better Trauma Center.”
With that, once again Stokesberry packed up his EMT bag and walked to his car.
“A few weeks later, I got a message on Facebook Messenger from that young lady messaging me telling me I was her guardian angel and she wants to meet me, she wants a picture, and she wants to hug me,” he said.
“She had several broken vertebrae. But other than that, it was just bangs and bruises. And she’s going to be okay. It was heartwarming, the message. She sent me a picture of her and her daughter. She just couldn’t thank me enough.”
Though Stokesberry insisted he didn’t want an article written about him, as he was “just doing the right thing,” it’s important to share the stories of those who serve their communities.
We often think about the people in uniform on the job and providing vital services that keep our communities safe. But even when they take the uniform off, every extraordinary instinct stays with them. The skills, the experience, even the equipment in the back of their trucks exemplify their dedication to the good work they do. It is simply a part of who they are.