In May, Oak Harbor resident Tim Hazelo was in a drive-thru line on the south end of town when he saw a woman next to 7-Eleven fall out of her wheelchair. She was with three others, so he figured they would help, he said. After a few minutes he looked again, and the others were dancing around, not paying attention to her.

Immediately, Hazelo drove over and stepped down from his pickup truck to find the woman with no breath, no pulse and no pupils. He dialed 911. As he did so, a second person passed out.

Over the phone, Kimberly May, the dispatcher, coached Hazelo in providing CPR to the woman. Hazelo listened to May’s instructions and gave chest compressions while the second person stopped breathing. Then, a third passed out.

“I told the 911 operator, you know, it’s just me,” Hazelo said. “I need help fast, and they got there quick. It seemed like forever, but it was like three minutes.”

After three minutes of compressions, Officer Jesse Caravan with the Oak Harbor Police Department arrived at the scene. Because Hazelo was already tending to the first person, Caravan was able to help the others. Immediately, Caravan provided Narcan to the first person and one other. Then, he continued CPR.

While the woman didn’t immediately recover, Caravan took over CPR and gave her more Narcan. Eventually, she started snorting and grunting. Hazelo went over to help the third person and stepped out of the way as medical and fire professionals arrived on scene. In total, all four people needed medical attention, and all four were revived.

“None of this would have been possible without our citizen bystander, Timothy Hazelo,” Police Chief Tony Slowik said at a recent city council meeting.

Slowik presented awards to members of the Oak Harbor Police Department, Oak Harbor Fire Department, WhidbeyHealth EMS, ICOM Dispatch and Hazelo, and special awards were given to Hazelo, Caravan and May.

The award was a surprise to Hazelo, a former candidate for political office and the chairperson of the Island County Republican Party.

“The police chief called and left me a message,” he said, “saying, ‘Hey, give me a call back. I want to talk to you,’ and I was thinking, ‘Crap. What did I do?’”

Robert May, lead medic with WhidbeyHealth, was quick to point out that Hazelo, the citizen first responder, was the true first responder. If any cog in the machine had halted, no one would have been saved.

“You’re your closest neighbor’s first responder,” Hazelo said, “because it takes the police and the fire department three, five, 10 minutes to get there, and by then it can be over.”

Since the incident, Hazelo said he carries gloves, Narcan and a first-aid kit in his truck.

Caravan, the first professional to arrive on scene, realized there were three other people in crisis and calmly administered first aid that he learned through his police training and as a volunteer firefighter prior to his time as an officer, Slowik said.

May was also recognized for her life-saving contributions.

“In dispatch, it is a full team, everybody on deck, everybody is doing everything to fill in for everybody else, and it is extremely appreciated,” Slowik said, “but through this it was clear that that coaching was very important and crucial to this event.”

EMS also presented awards, and ICOM gave every first responder involved challenge coins to “continue their level of excellence in the community.”

“On behalf of the first responders who we know day in and day out, we go out and we do our job, but this is a perfect community set-up where a citizen started CPR, and our dispatch center, who we can’t thank more,” Interim Fire Chief Gordie Olson said.

Hazelo said he didn’t think twice about stepping up. He’s helped people on the street several times before, although the incidents were not as serious.

“That’s a tough gig for the average person, and then most people might call 911 and just keep on driving,” he said. “It seems like the average person these days takes out their cell phone and starts recording rather than helping. That just drives me bananas. Come on, people. Are you humans or not?”

Everybody is faced with such tests at some point, he said.

“Are they going to be proactive or reactive, you know what I mean? I was in the military for 21 years,” he said. “I’ve put tourniquets on severed legs, for God’s sake, so this wasn’t the most traumatic thing I’ve ever done, but just the fact that, to me, I thought she was already gone.”

While responders can hope such an event will not recur, Robert May assured that if or when it does, this level of response will also recur.

“We recognize that one overdose on fentanyl is one too many, but we want the mayor and the council to recognize that we are ready to act should it happen again,” he said.

Whidbey first responders were honored for their efforts during an overdose incident on May 10 at a recent city council meeting. (Photo provided)

Tim Hazelo, at right, rallies for the Island County Republican Party not far from the spot where he helped save the lives of four people who overdosed. (Photo by Sam Fletcher)