A letter in support of the proposed Municipal Income Tax for the Village of Bluffton for raising revenue for the capital needs and operations of the Safety Services Departments.

Mother’s Day 2023 was a beautiful day. We were just returning from spending time with my mother and I asked Dan to drop me off at Bluffton University’s football field.  My cousin’s son was playing soccer there (yes, on Mother’s Day!), and I was determined not to miss a game that was so close to our home.  After the game, my cousin’s husband offered to drop me off at home. I refused as it was a short walk and sunny. As I walked up our road, I could see our neighbor Dan Gray sitting outside. Their white home seemed to highlight his red shirt to me. ▶︎

I strolled into our garage to see my husband getting the walk behind mower out.  We spoke for a few minutes and I turned to go inside to take a nap. Just as I opened the door, I heard a weird sound. I turned around to see what it was, but couldn’t see Dan anywhere. I headed to the back door of the garage thinking maybe he had gone out that way, but just as I got to the door I saw him lying on the garage floor completely still and very white. I called his name and shook him, but to no avail. I already had my cell phone in my hand from my walk back to the house so I called 911 immediately. 

After asking a few questions, the 911 operator wanted me to turn him onto his back, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do so, as he had fallen between our grill and the front of my car. I started running across the street yelling to Dan Gray for help.  Once he realized that I was calling for him and not my Dan, he came running across the street calling his wife Jennifer at the same time. He immediately turned Dan over and began CPR. Suddenly, Jennifer ran into the garage in bare feet and dropped to take over CPR from Dan. Those two switched back and forth doing CPR as I tried to stay out of the way because the garage began to fill up. The police came and put a defibrillator on Dan and shortly after, the EMS squad arrived and put the Lucas device on him. Shortly after that, the second EMS squad arrived at our home after coming straight from the soccer game I had been at earlier. It seemed that everything happened almost at once. Dan was loaded into the EMS squad and taken to Bluffton Hospital. The Gray’s drove me to the hospital and stayed with me. It was confirmed that Dan had gone into cardiac arrest. They asked me approximately how long he had been without oxygen. According to the Cleveland Clinic, sudden cardiac arrest can be fatal if it lasts longer than 8 minutes without CPR. Brain damage can happen after just five minutes. 

God was definitely watching over Dan that day. Without the quick response by the Gray’s, Bluffton Police and Bluffton EMS, he may not have lived to be here today. Dan was transferred to Blanchard Valley Health System in Findlay for successful open heart surgery. 

Without the Police and EMS being available and arriving so quickly, this situation could have turned out so differently and Dan may not have been here today. This is why the Safety Services issue that is on the ballot this November is so important. Volunteerism for Fire and EMS squads is down across the nation. No one knows when they will need the services of the Fire, EMS and Police but, let me tell you, you WANT them to be there for your loved ones just as they were there for mine. The passage of this issue will help make sure someone is on duty for the EMS 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and provide needed equipment for the Fire, EMS and Police. Please vote yes on November 5 to support Bluffton’s dedicated and highly trained safety services personnel.  

Respectfully, Melinda Bowden and Dan Bowden, former Bluffton Fire Chief 

"Vote Yes for Safety Services" signs are available at PromoHits, 141 N. Main Street, Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  in the back of the Steiner and Granger Insurance building and next to Kira’s Flipside Grill.) Call or text Bowden at 419-231-2237 to make other arrangements.

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