SGL CARBON, LLC – MORGANTON, NORTH CAROLINA
Sudden Cardiac Arrest – Chain of Survival at the Morganton Facility
On Wednesday, February 29, the Safety and Health Council of North Carolina recognized four esteemed
members of the SGL Group Morganton family, for their efforts that saved the life of a fellow employee,
Eddie Lanning. On the evening of January 14, 2012 at approximately 10:30 in the evening, Robbie
White, Maintenance Millwright, and Heather Buchanan, Maintenance Electrician, were working diligently
in the boiler room to troubleshoot the boiler. Eddie Lanning walked into the boiler room and within
minutes, unexpectedly collapsed backwards hitting his head on the pavement. Thanks in part to training
the pair recently received in the areas of First Aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated
external defibrillator (AED), Robbie immediately began assessing the injured party and determined that
Eddie was not breathing and without heartbeat. Without delay, Robbie sent Heather to the Furnace 57
Control room to secure the AED while he began to administer CPR.
Earl Speck, Bake Supervisor, came into the picture and began supporting Robbie with chest
compressions (which later yielded multiple cracked ribs – a positive sign of successful work) until Heather
arrived with the necessary equipment.
At this time, Heather followed AED protocol, which includes
shaving the patient’s chest, applying pads, positioning the AED and further analyzing the patient. The
AED machine called for shock, which was delivered to Eddie. After the shock treatment, Robbie and Earl
continued CPR until Eddie regained consciousness and forcefully communicated for the two to stop!
During this life saving exercise, Jesse Stumbo, Maintenance Millwright, went to the guard house to
expedite the EMS team in finding the Boiler Room. Upon arrival, Eddie was loaded into the ambulance,
taken to the hospital for further treatment and observation. Eddie returned to the Morganton facility on
February 24 after more than a month of good-naturedly waiting for his cracked ribs to mend.
Robbie, Heather and Earl are all members of the Morganton facility’s “First Responders” team. The
important training these admirable individuals received, which enabled them to quickly react to a situation
that later proved heroic, was pivotal to saving Eddie’s life. Their actions were a text book, professional
response to a dire, emergency situation. As a result of this success, the Charlotte office also plans to add
an AED Unit and more than 10 people have already signed up for training. In January of this year, Scott
Carlton, President SGL Group North America, visited Morganton to recognize the four individuals and
presented them with a unique safety coat. We would like to commend the four individuals for their
outstanding response time and applaud their heroic actions, which ultimately saved Eddie’s life.
From L to R: Robbie White, Jesse Stumbo, Scott Carlton, Heather Buchanan and Earl Speck
Eddie Lanning with Kelvin Brim of the Safety and Health Council of North Carolina. Kelvin is the
instructor who trained members of the “First Responders” team at the SGL Group Morganton facility.