Nurse, EMT save man having seizure in Porta Potty

The right people being at the right place at the right time led to a rescue in an unlikely place a — Porta Potty.

A couple Wednesday morning were near the Kwik Stop at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation Agency, waiting to get a puppy, when they found a young man having a seizure in a nearby Porta Potty.

Nurse Jessica Gallus said she and her fiancé, Troy Kuntz, were going to meet a co-worker in Fort Belknap about a puppy they were getting. Their friend was running a little late so they  were just killing time driving around.

Kuntz decided that he needed to use the bathroom, she said, and having the convenience of being a male, just thought he’d use the Porta Potty. 

Gallus said when Kuntz opened the door and he saw the individual on the ground of the porta potty having a seizure.

“Troy is an (emergency medical techician), so he calmly asked me to call for an ambulance,” she said. “I called for an ambulance and then we went to work.”

There are lots of thoughts that go through the head as one has concern of head injury and neck trauma, in addition to supporting the airway while getting the individual out of the confined space safely, she said.

She said they were limited in resources — they were in their private vehicle — and she was working through her trauma nursing assessments while awaiting the ambulance. 

“Once the Fort Belknap EMS arrived, they did an amazing job,” Gallus said. “Our EMS works hard to stay up on education and skills to be prepared for every emergency.”

She said she has been  a nurse at the Fort Belknap Emergency Room for 13 years, adding that Kuntz is an EMT with Fort Belknap and has been there for almost two years.

“My co-workers say that what we did was amazing and we saved a life,” Gallus said. “I feel like we didn’t do anything extraordinary. We did what we train and practice to do for every emergency that we encounter.

“The real ones to be complemented are the EMTs, nurses and doctors who work endless hours at Fort Belknap to provide care,” she added. “These EMTs, nurses and doctors go above and beyond to make sure their skill levels and educations are always at the highest because in rural Montana, you never know what you will encounter.”

She said she became a nurse because of her mother, Janice Roth, who has been a nurse for 25-plus years. 

“I was called to be a nurse,  as cheesy as it may sound,” Gallus said. “I absolutely love what I do. Every day. It’s not a job for me, but a passion. And for me to be able to touch one life, help one person, calm one child, then I’ve done what I’m called to do.”