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Ascend team member helps rescue driver trapped in wrecked car, ensures colleagues also are prepared
Tracy Forstner believes in safety first.
That’s why he always keeps a small device called Resqme in his truck’s console. He bought the device nearly seven years ago and, thankfully, never had to use it – until last year.
On Jan. 28, 2014, as the director of IT infrastructure drove to work in Pensacola, he noticed a mangled, overturned car on the side of the road. Next to it was another car with a smashed hood.
Oddly, there were no police or emergency crews around. Forstner had no clue whether the accident happened minutes or hours earlier. As he passed by the two cars, he saw a brake light flash on one of the cars.
“I turned my truck around and when I got to the other side of the road, I got out and ran to the car,” Forstner said. “The side windows and both doors were crushed. The young lady inside couldn’t get out.”
Forstner remembered the Resqme device in his truck and quickly ran to get it. He used the escape tool on the car’s rear window enabling its 12-pound spring to instantly shatter the glass. He was then able to kick a hole in the window and pull the woman out of the wreckage.
The woman suffered minor injuries and the two women in the other car were uninjured, according to a local newspaper story.
The successful rescue motivated Forstner to pay it forward, again. He initially received a larger version of the rescue device as a gift from a former supervisor. He thought the device was a good safety tool, so he gave it to his wife and bought himself a smaller version, which he used in the rescue.
In March 2014, he took it upon himself to buy 100 devices to share with his Ascend IT team members. He even had the devices customized with the Ascend logo. Many of his team members liked them so much that they asked for a second device to give to their spouses. Forstner’s next goal was companywide distribution. He approached Dale Borths, Ascend’s vice president of Environmental, Safety, Security,
& Health, and together they made it happen.
“Tracy’s story is a great example of an Ascend team member who faced the unexpected, acted with care and compassion, had the capability to respond, and responded,” Borths said. “I hope everyone thinks of this when they see the device on their key chain, but I hope they never have to use it.”
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