“They just really went above and beyond”: Walton EMTs praised

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - When there is a call for help, it’s often emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, who are the first to respond.

Sometimes, we all need that helping hand. But for Olivia Easterwood, she was reluctant to ask for help as she cared for her mother, who was involved in a car crash in early April.

“It’s been hard trying to get anyone to help me,” Eastwood said. “Ever since my mom got into her accident, it’s been a whole whirlwind.”

Easterwood told NewsChannel 7 she had been helping her mom get around but one day, it was more than she and her family could handle alone. She said on May 10th, her mom had fallen, and they couldn’t get her up. She said she knew she had to call for help.

“It was three of us trying to pick my mom up, and the three of us couldn’t do it so I mean, there was no option,” Easterwood said. “I expected to wait, like, 20 minutes, because we live out in the country. I mean, kind of Paxton but not really Paxton. And they showed up in less than 5 minutes.”

Walton County Fire Rescue EMTs Brant Johnson and Brody Stephens showed up at the door, ready to help.

“We got there, we helped assist her mother back up onto the couch, I let the family know if there’s anything else we can do for them to give us a call,” Johnson said.

After they came to assist, their help was needed again shortly after. Easterwood said the next day, she knew she would need help getting her mother into her car to take her to a nursing home where she can continue to recover from her crash, so she once again reached out to WCFR for assistance. She told NewsChannel 7 she was pleasantly surprised to see who showed up.

“The next day, I was having issues getting her into my car, and Brant and Brody came back out to my house and helped me get her into my car,” Easterwood said. “They even went as far as showing me how to turn the oxygen on and helped me get the wheelchair in my car they just really went above and beyond.”

The EMTs went above and beyond without even realizing Easterwood is one of their own, a fellow Walton County employee. Easterwood is a detention deputy at the Walton County Jail, which is a branch of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office just like the Walton County Fire Rescue.

Johnson and Stephens told NewsChannel 7 they had no idea who Easterwood was when they went to help her and her mother, so it goes to show they stand ready to help anyone who needs it.

“Even though they didn’t know who I was, they still went above and beyond. It’s good to know there’s still good people out there, even people I work with,” Easterwood said.

“It’s the Oath we took to serve and protect,” Johnson said.

“Yeah it doesn’t matter who it is, everyone deserves the same care,” Stephens said.

Eastwood said she is thankful for the EMTs dedication to help citizens. She told NewsChannel 7 her mom is doing well, and is now in a rehabilitative facility where she is learning to walk, and use her arms and hands again.

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