First Aid Corps

On a warm April day, Miami City Treasurer Pete Chircut joined thousands of Miamians in the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run through downtown.

Chircut, 61, briskly walked most of it, but near the end he decided to run.

It would be the last thing he remembered before regaining consciousness.

Done with work for the day, Miami police Sgt. Javier Ortiz was at the Häagen-Dazs in Bayside Marketplace, where he snacked on a waffle cone and chatted with a few other city officers, he said.

Another officer’s radio crackled. A lieutenant called out, ” ‘There’s a man in cardiac arrest. Where’s fire rescue?’ ” Ortiz said.

He stood two blocks north, at Northeast Fifth Street, with his police car — and its city-issued automated external defibrillator — parked a block away.

Ortiz ran to his cruiser and drove. He found Chircut sprawled in the northbound lanes, about 200 feet from the finish line. His skin had begun to turn blue, and a group of people surrounded him, performing CPR.

The group included Hollywood Fire Rescue Chief Virgil Fernandez, himself a former member of Miami Fire-Rescue. His wife was running in the event.

Fernandez checked for a pulse — there was none — while others worked on the CPR.

“It seemed like 30 seconds later, this guy in civilian clothes shows up, comes in and brings an AED,” Fernandez said.

Ortiz grabbed his defibrillator bag and stepped in to help.

One person did compressions while Ortiz did rescue breathing, he said.

No pulse.

Fernandez ripped off Chircut’s shirt. Ortiz wiped off the sweat and placed the defibrillator pads on Chircut.

No pulse.

They did one more round of CPR, Ortiz said. Then the machine activated and shocked Chircut once, followed by more CPR.

Finally, a pulse.

About two minutes later, an ambulance arrived and took Ortiz to Mercy Hospital. Ortiz gave the truck a police escort to get it there faster.

The entire time, he only knew the man he helped save as an anonymous runner, Ortiz said. It wasn’t until later, at Mercy Hospital, Ortiz discovered he saved a fellow city employee.

“I was happy that I was able to help out not only a fellow human being, but a city employee,” Ortiz said. “I was just happy that I had the equipment to get the job done and be able to bring him back to life.”

Chircut went on to have double-bypass surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center on May 3, said his son, Gavin Chircut.

He also had a visit from Fernandez.

“He brought me a T-shirt that says City of Hollywood Fire-Rescue,” Pete Chircut said. ‘ He said, `I brought you back one because I tore the other one up.’ ”

This month, Chircut returned to his job, working half days.

“I don’t know what to say, except thank you,” Gavin Chircut said, “and even that doesn’t seem like enough.”

Ortiz is back at work and hoping the event helps the push to get more defibrillators.

Ortiz’s device is one of about 65 bought several years ago with grant money and issued to interested city police officers.

The defibrillators are part of the Miami Fire-Rescue Department’s Public Access Defibrillation program, which started in early 2005 and manages hundreds of the devices across the city in places like public buildings and parks, program coordinator Zachary Nicholas said.

An organization, like the Police Department, buys the machines. For a fee, the Fire-Rescue program provides training on how to use them and monitors the machines for needed changes or maintenance.

Nicholas compared them with fire extinguishers, another device people can use to save lives.

“We’re all out there as human beings, and we all have to be vigilant,” he said. “This is another tool in the arsenal.’

Ortiz hopes his story will inspire the city to find a way to equip all police officers with defibrillators.

“Police are armed with guns and authorized to take lives,” he said. “But, on the other side, we’re also here to save lives.”

Charles Gordon slipped into unconsciousness after having the attack at the wheel of his car outside Aberdeen’s Union Square complex on February 16 this year.

View World Map on AED Locations in a larger map

The 76-year-old hit the car in front of him during the incident, which happened beside the centre’s New Look store.

Emergency services were called and police officers pulled Mr Gordon, of Highgate Gardens, Aberdeen, from the car.

Constable Gillian Esson then began giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, until passer-by Ewen Simpson, 42, of Macbeth Place, Lumphanan – an experienced first aider – carried out CPR.

Meanwhile, Richard Lornie, 31, of Devanha Terrace, Aberdeen, who was a passenger in the car which had been hit by Mr Gordon’s vehicle, rushed into nearby Cineworld to find a defibrillator to help save Mr Gordon.

Mr Lornie said he feared the worst after the paramedics arrived but was relieved when he heard Mr Gordon had survived.

“Luckily I was on a refresher course in using a defibrillator the day before, so when I saw Charles I knew what had happened,” he said.

“It is nice to be recognised, but what is more important is that Charles was OK afterwards – he was still in the ambulance when I left the scene and I was not sure he would pull through.

“I was glad to see so many other people wanting to come and help as well.”

Mr Lornie administered a shock before the crew took over.

Mr Gordon congratulated the people who came to his aid, and said: “Everyone since has told me it was a little miracle, and as far as I am concerned that is exactly what it was.

“All I can do is thank them profusely for what they did for me.”

When 67-year-old Gary Kershner went into cardiac arrest during his grandson’s baseball practice at Hillside Elementary in April, Cottage Grove residents Darlene Hardwick, Bill Larsen and Terri Zebronsky rushed to his side, performing CPR.

Diane Janski called 911 while others administered CPR. She then comforted Kershner’s grandson and drove him to the hospital, waiting with the boy until his parents arrived. Dean Larkin provided emergency responders with information about Kershner prior to his collapse.

A Cottage Grove officer arrived on the scene roughly two minutes after Janski dialed 911 and restarted Kershner’s heart with an external defibrillator.

Cottage Grove public safety director Craig Woolery said without the quick thinking of the five honored individuals, the outcome of the April incident could have been different.

Kershner, present at the ceremony along with his family, was grateful for their actions.

“I’m sure glad they knew what they were doing,” he said. “And I’m thankful for them very much.”

On the evening of Wednesday, May 19, 2010, Todd Witte was at Country Lanes Volleyball Courts in the midst of a game with his team.

In an instant, Todd collapsed and suffered cardiac arrest.

At 8:48 p.m., the Duluth Fire Department No. 7 Engine stationed in Duluth Heights responded to a report of a “48 year old unconscious male”.

While in route to the scene, the Fire Department crew was informed by another call that the patient had stopped breathing but CPR was in progress.

Within three minutes, No. 7 Engine arrived at the scene to find Ms. Greensky and Mr. Kiesel performing CPR.

Duluth firefighters used their semi-automatic external defibrillator to administer a shock to Todd.

After a single shock was delivered, both individuals continued assisting with CPR.

Shortly after delivery of the shock, and continued CPR, Todd began to breathe on his own and partially regained consciousness.

Todd was taken by ambulance to the hospital and underwent surgery.

Today, Todd Witte is doing well and grateful to the two people who gave him another chance to enjoy life with his loving wife and kids.

At 10:10 a.m. Thursday, an 80-year-old Owego man and his wife were walking on the Rail Trail when the man experienced heart trouble and fell.

Sue Driver, an employee of Catalyst Manufacturing alongside the trail, saw the incident and immediately ran over.

She began CPR and was aided by town Parks Director James Bukowski, who also witnessed the incident from the Coal House, which the town is renovating.

Despite their efforts, the two were unable to revive the man, who wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse.

Police officer William Serkiz arrived with a defibrillator and shocked the man.

The victim’s heartbeat resumed and he was able to breathe on his own.

“The machine was working very well,” Butler said.

After the incident, Serkiz talked on the phone with the man, who had been taken to Wilson Regional Medical Center in Johnson City.

A man collapsed and went into cardiac arrest Saturday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, but by good luck and determined effort he was revived, according to authorities and a witness.

“It was very unusual,” said Sgt. David Schlosser, a spokesman for the U.S. Park Police.

It was an “amazing event,” said James Tansey, a prosecutor in Union County, N.J. Tansey was one of four bystanders who aided the man when he collapsed about 12:10 p.m.

“The guy was gone,” said Tansey. “No heartbeat, no pulse” and not breathing, he said. But out of the hundreds of visitors at the memorial, Tansey said, two paramedics and a doctor joined in trying to help the man.

According to Tansey, the doctor performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Schlosser said CPR was done for about four minutes before National Park Service rangers arrived with an automated external defibrillator, which restarted the man’s heart.

Although the odds of finding someone willing and able to perform CPR in such a situation are “not high,” Schlosser said, the man was “apparently relatively stable” when taken to a hospital.

A man running the Boston Marathon Monday was saved by spectators and fellow athletes after he collapsed and suffered cardiac arrest.

Carleton Smith the Survivor

Carleton Smith, 64, collapsed and staggered to the ground at the intersection of Beacon and Mountfort streets in Kenmore Square at about 1:20 p.m. The location is less than two miles from the end of the race.

He fell to the ground in front of a group of health care professionals from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute who were cheering on the Dana Farber team.

Authorities say some of those spectators came to Smith's aid, giving him CPR.

An ambulance crew that was about 20 feet away, as well as a bike unit, responded, and used a defibrillator to revive him.

“It was an amazing feeling for me,” said EMT Ginelle Jimenez, who was part of the Boston EMS bicycle crew. “It was my first in-the-field save, so it was a moment. It was surreal,” she said.

Smith’s wife, Mary, said at mile 25 their son Jim, who was running with his father, asked his father if he was alright, Smith shook his head no, and fell to the ground.

“He was in full cardiac arrest,” said Boston EMS Lt. Carlos Grau. “He was not breathing, or a heartbeat, neither one of them.”

“A woman jumped over the barricade, and she and I started doing CPR,” said Jim Smith.

“It couldn’t have turned out better for this gentleman that we were right there, and that there were people right there on the scene who knew how to help him,” said EMT Kelly Cronin.

Mary Smith told WBZ that she and her daughter-in-law were at the finish line waiting for their spouses, but didn’t hear an initial phone call from police telling her what had happened.

Her daughter-in-law then got the call informing them of where Carleton and Jim were.

Smith had a stent put in an artery at the Beth Israel.

“He’s sitting and talking,” said Mary Smith. She says he has never had heart problems before, and has run several marathons, including Boston in 2007.

Carpentersville resident Tom Malinger had walked about three-quarters of a mile on the elliptical machine on the morning of Feb. 21 at the Dundee Township Park District’s recreation center.

He started to feel dizzy, so he stopped. In a split second, Malinger’s heart stopped. He collapsed, hitting his head on the gym floor.

Those who witnessed his collapse said Malinger “keeled over” but was conscious and speaking before he blacked out.

A flight attendant, recreation center employee, part-time firefighter and a fellow gym user rushed to Malinger’s aid.

Debra Zeigler, a flight attendant, used the Automated External Defibrillator, which got Malinger’s heart going.

Keri Fowler, who was working out near Malinger, rushed to dial 911.

Others helped, too, including Craig Lauer, a part-time Carpentersville firefighter and Leslie Kowalski, a park district employee.

“Thank God for the people who were there to help that day who knew what they were doing,” Malinger said. “I am very grateful for that.”

When the ambulance arrived, the responding officers told Malinger’s wife, Barb, that the AED had saved her husband’s life. Without it, they told her, he would have died before the ambulance arrived.

He regained consciousness momentarily in the ambulance on the way to Sherman Hospital in Elgin.

“The response was so quick,” Barb told Carpentersville trustees last week. “Without the AED he wouldn’t be here today.”

Just before noon on June 6, Robert Glorioso, an off-duty Cleveland firefighter, was returning from a baseball game with his son in Aurora when he saw a woman lying on the side of the road.

He immediately pulled to the side of the road and leaped out to aid the stricken woman.

Seeing that she was completely unresponsive, he checked her pulse and breathing and immediately surmised that she had suffered a heart attack.

Glorioso called 911 and began CPR, realizing all the while that help would have to arrive quickly if the woman’s life was to be saved.

Aurora Police Department sergeant Stephen Sabulsky, who was on duty, responded in his cruiser.

He said he grabbed the medical kit out of his cruiser, including his defibrillator, and began to help Glorioso.

Sabulsky was able to detect a faint heart beat and used the defibrillator to help revive her heart.

‘It gave her a pretty good jolt,” Sabulsky recalled last week.

An ambulance arrived and the woman, Lisa Perez, 40, was taken to a local hospital, where she recovered.

The device was easy to use, Sabulsky said. He said when he responded, training and instinct took over and there was no time to think.

”The machine is simple,” he said.

His chief, Seth Riewaldt, said Sabulsky always tells the officers on his shift to make sure they have a defibrillator with them. He said he likes having the defibrillators because police are often on the scene of a medical emergency before paramedics.

”We try to tell to the guys you might have a chance to save someone’s life,” Riewaldt said.

Mark Pie-Truckies, an Edmonton soccer dad is recovering in hospital after some quick-thinking parents came to his aid with life-saving equipment after he had a heart attack.

The man was taking part in a soccer game that pitted parents against kids at the West End Soccer Centre when he collapsed on the field after suffering a heart attack.

Some of the parents taking part grabbed a portable defibrillator and performed CPR.

“I had just finished my CPR training, a refresher course, about a month ago, so I just remembered what I was supposed to do – attached the machine and let the machine walk me through it,” said parent Karen Gwozd-Cornish.

Paramedics are crediting Gwozd-Cornish and others for their swift action, they say the man was already breathing on his own and was conscious by the time they arrived.

The man is still in hospital undergoing several tests, but his family says he is expected to make a full recovery.