By FireRescue1 Staff
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Firefighter-paramedics sprang into action on one of their own when he went into cardiac arrest at a barbecue.
CBC News reported that firefighter-paramedic Steve Sawatzky and his family were at an amusement park with hundreds of his colleagues when he collapsed.
Twenty to 25 coworkers from the United Firefighters of Winnipeg took turns giving him CPR for nearly an hour after the on-site AED malfunctioned. He was then transported to the hospital in an ambulance, where he is recovering.
Sawatzky’s wife, Kim, said she is overwhelmed with gratitude for the firefighters.
“I mean, it could have happened while we were camping, it could have happened while he was taking the dog for a walk, it could have happened anywhere. But it happened where somebody was able to respond to him and give him exactly what he needed,” Kim said.
Kim is currently trying to find the names of all the firefighters involved so she can thank them for their live-saving actions.
“We can’t thank everybody enough for what they did for him that day,” she said.
https://www.facebook.com/uffw867/posts/1874970519490175