Editor,

My cell phone died on me, so on May 16 I went to the Navy Exchange where I purchased the phone 23 months earlier. I selected a replacement and as we were completing our transaction, I began to feel flush. I removed my jacket and placed it in my shopping cart.

About that time, I got very weak.

The sales person, Maria, came from behind the counter and caught me just as I passed out.

She was able to get me down on the floor with no injury in the fall. She then called 911.

With help on the way, she went back to the paperwork we were filling out for the new cell phone, found my home phone number and called my wife.

By the time my wife arrived, the medics and firemen had things under control and I was packaged up and ready for transport to the ER at WhidbeyHealth.

The fire chief asked my wife if she wanted to follow up and go to the ER. My wife acknowledged that she did. The fire chief told my wife that she was too upset to drive.

He would have one of his men drive my wife to the ER.

Soon, the medics had me in the emergency vehicle and ready to travel. Tiffany and crew were the very best during that 15-mile ride.

Not far behind the emergency vehicle, fireman Kevin Frondozo was at the controls of my wife’s vehicle and doing an outstanding job of keeping my wife’s panic under control.

Once at the hospital, he escorted my wife into the ER and to my bedside.

My wife tried to thank Kevin for such a great job of getting her to the ER. He implied it was all in a day’s work and part of the training.

That day, my wife and I got a great demonstration of highly trained personnel helping save the lives of others. Our tax dollars were well spent. To all who were a part of the events that day, I wish to thank you very much.

Robert D. Brown

Oak Harbor