By FDNY
NEW YORK — Firefighters from Engine 258 saved a man who went into cardiac arrest on a Queens street on May 20.
“It’s rare you see someone come back alive in a situation like this,” said Lt. Eugene Szatkowski. “It’s a great feeling.”
A caller reported a man in his 50s was having a seizure at Bordon Avenue and 27th Street, near the Midtown Tunnel, at 11:08 a.m.
Firefighters were the first on the scene, and said they found the man lying on the sidewalk with his eyes wide open, staring straight ahead. Lt. Szatkowski said he checked and the man had no pulse.
Firefighter Theo Mitritzikos, who was formerly an FDNY EMT, ripped open the man’s shirt and started CPR. Then Firefighter Michael Babb, also a former EMT, hooked up the automated external defibrillator (AED). The machine immediately told them to shock.
Lt. Szatkowski said the shock made the man jump a little, and Firefighter Mitritzikos continued CPR until EMS members arrived.
Paramedics Arnold Silva and David Kher, and EMTs Zhangkai Lin and Christopher Specht were able to restore his heartbeat in the ambulance and transported him to Bellevue Hospital.
“In situations like this, minutes and seconds count,” Lt. Szatkowski said. “It’s great to see when this all works out. The guys are on a high right now.”
Republished with permission from FDNY.