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Coaches credit MERT training for being prepared in emergency

Godwin Heights — After a double emergency within an hour, coaches Brandon Kimble and Keontre Miskel said they are appreciative of the medical emergency response training they received.

“I can’t thank our security staff enough just (for) the training that we get,” said Kimble, the district’s varsity football coach and athletic director. “You believe it’s good. You listen to them. They know what they’re doing, but you never know if the knowledge that they’re giving you is relevant until you’ve got to use it.”

It was Sept. 19 when Miskel, who is a North Godwin youth development coordinator and JV football coach, was preparing to take the JV football team to its scheduled game, when a parent collapsed in front of him. 

Miskel said his MERT training kicked in and he asked another parent to call 911 while he connected with Kimble, Miskel said.

On the field, Kimble was handling another emergency with a coach who had fainted, Kimble recalled. 

Working together, the two performed CPR and used the automated external defibrillator on the parent while tending to the coach and making sure athletes were taken care of. 

Both the parent and coach were transported to the hospital and are doing well, Kimble said, adding that the teams were able to participate in their scheduled games. 

Godwin Heights Safety Coordinator Amira Selimovic said MERT teams practice moments like that, and that Kimble and Miskel’s actions demonstrated their emergency knowledge and understanding. 

“We are so appreciative of the quick wit, timely response and application of their professional training,” said Superintendent Bill Fetterhoff. “These efforts provided necessary support and made the difference in the safety and well-being of multiple individuals.”

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Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma is a reporter covering Kent ISD, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, Forest Hills and Comstock Park. The salutatorian for the Hartland Public Schools class of 1985, she changed her colors from blue and maize to green and white by attending Michigan State University, where she majored in journalism. Joanne moved to the Grand Rapids area in 1989, where she started her journalism career at the Advance Newspapers. She later became the editor for On-the-Town magazine, a local arts and entertainment publication. Her eldest daughter is a nurse, working in Holland, and her youngest attends Oakland University. Both are graduates from Byron Center High School. She is a volunteer for the Van Singel Fine Arts Advisory Board and the Kent District Library. In her free time, Joanne enjoys spending time with her family, checking out local theater and keeping up with all the exchange students they have hosted through the years. Read Joanne's full bio

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