Outer Banks Woman Uses Life-Saving Skills to Save a Fellow Diner

Kill Devil Hills Local Puts CPR Training to Use

Kill Devil Hills – An ordinary dinner outing turned into a life-saving moment when an Outer Banks woman used her recently acquired skills to resuscitate a fellow diner. Tracie Porter, a 58-year-old Dare County employee, didn’t know that her participation in a mandatory First On the Scene training will play a vital role.

Quick Response averts Tragedy

The incident happened on February 23 when Tracie and her friends decided to eat out at 3 Tequilas Restaurante Mexicano in Kill Devil Hills. In the middle of their meal, Tracie noticed a woman collapsed in her booth and not responding to her daughter’s attempts to wake her up.

Tracie, with her recent training, swiftly took action. She found the woman unresponsive without a pulse. With the help of her companions and restaurant staff, they moved the woman to the floor while 911 was called. Tracie began chest compressions, which she said seemed to last forever due to the tension of the moment. “It looked like she took a little gasp of air, so I stopped the compressions, and you could see her chest and stomach move very slightly — so she was breathing again,” Tracie recalled.

Praise for the Life-Savor

Upon the arrival of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the woman began to show signs of improving. She even began responding to verbal commands. The woman’s daughter was overwhelmed with gratitude and offered Tracie a heartfelt ‘Thank You.’

Despite the heroic act, Tracie remained humble, insisting that what she did was not special. “I know there’s a lot of other people who would have done the same thing,” she expressed. Her immediate response to the situation points to the exemplary training provided by Dare County.

Enormous Gratitude to Dare County Training Course

Tracie’s act of bravery is attributed to her recent participation in the First On the Scene training offered by Dare County. The training, which is mandatory for county employees, includes CPR, as well as handling bleeding, dealing with broken bones, and more. Tracie, a real estate property appraiser, has been a Dare County employee for over six and a half years.

Public Commendation for Tracie Porter

At the March 4 Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting, County Manager Bobby Outten publicly praised Tracie for using her training to stabilize the woman till the EMS arrived. He further appreciated the usefulness of the First On the Scene training.

Moving Forward: Encouragement for More Training

The incident has highlighted the worth of such training programs. Tracie, too, stressed the importance of more local employers, particularly larger businesses, to implement obligatory training resembling Dare County’s First On the Scene program. She further pressed the idea that “knowledge is very powerful,” asserting the significance of basic lifesaving abilities beyond the workplace.