As a PG&E Vegetation Operations Inspector, four-year IBEW 1245 member John Schulthess oversees PG&E’s vegetation management subcontractors in Sonoma County. During a work assignment on February 10 in Santa Rosa, Schulthess had stopped off at a gas station with a coworker who was shadowing him for the day. They were headed out to a job site when, out of the corner of his eye, Schulthess saw a man fall down and “hit the ground hard as heck,” in his words.
As soon as the man went face-first in to the ground, his two companions panicked and started to leave.
Schulthess, a former Marine who served from 2016-2020, is accustomed to dealing with emergency situations. His military training quickly kicked in and he began dialing 9-1-1 as he rushed over to the fallen man and called for the two others to come back.
“I asked them to tell me what happened. They said he overdosed on fentanyl,” Schulthess said.
Schulthess knew that fentanyl exposure is potentially lethal, and that he needed to proceed carefully for his own safety.
In order to determine if the fallen man was breathing, he asked the other men who were already exposed to the drug to pull up his shirt.
“There was no rise and fall of the chest,” he recalled.
Schulthess discovered that one of the men had some Narcan, which can treat narcotic overdose in an emergency, from a local harm-reduction program that gives it out for free. Schulthess directed the friend to administer the life-saving medication to the fallen man.
“I asked his buddy if he knew how to give CPR—he said no. I started to walk him through it, but EMS was close and got there soon after we started chest compressions,” said Schulthess.
When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics took over chest compressions and were able to successfully revive the fallen man as the Narcan kicked in.
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His background as a Marine, coupled with the regular CPR and First Aid trainings IBEW members receive at work, gave Schulthess the skills and knowledge needed to respond quickly but thoughtfully in a seriously life-threatening situation.
“In any situation, you have to be able to look around and assess the situation and take in the whole scene. That comes into the line of work that IBEW members deal with,” said Schulthess. “You need to assess the scene, otherwise you could become a second victim that somebody else needs to help.”
Schulthess has been an IBEW 1245 member since 2020 and with PG&E for about two years. He is thankful for the union backing and his collective bargaining agreement. He also credits the IBEW for bolstering PG&E’s commitment to hiring veterans like himself.
According to Schulthess, being an IBEW member means that we cannot wait for someone else to act – especially when we may be the only ones around with any sort of CPR and First Aid training.
“You can make a difference by being there, being the person who is willing to speak up and take action,” he said.