By Miguel Liscano
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)
Copyright 2006 The Austin American-Statesman
All Rights Reserved
An Austin firefighter was listed in critical but stable condition Tuesday after suffering a cardiac event while fighting a fire in Southwest Austin, Fire Department Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said.
The 42-year-old firefighter, whose name was not released, was taken to South Austin Hospital about 3:20 p.m. He had been battling a blaze in the 10700 block of Redmond Road in the Circle C Ranch subdivision, Buck said.
The fire started about 12:45 p.m. on the second floor of a home, and firefighters had it under control less than an hour later, Buck said.
After the fire was under control, Buck said, firefighters began making sure all the hot spots were out.
About 3:14 p.m., the firefighter — a 19-year veteran — collapsed, and other firefighters started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. About a minute later, firefighters used a defibrillator to bring back the man’s pulse. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
“The firefighters did exactly what they were trained to do: take care of one of their brothers who went down,” Buck said. At the hospital, “the firefighter was conscious and talking . . . and in good spirits.”
The fire, which was ruled accidental, caused about $275,000 in damage, Buck said. It was started by a short in a bathroom ventilation fan, he said. No one else was injured, he said.