On July 27, Slinger Fire Department volunteer firefighter Jeff Westphal was preparing to go out on a call for a carbon monoxide detector activation, tmj4.com reported.
Westphal got in to drive the fire apparatus and that’s when things went black. He lost consciousness and experienced a cardiac emergency, the report said.
Captain Tim Roskopf was sitting next to Westphal in the apparatus and first noticed him slump over. Roskopf and five other firefighters immediately began to give Westphal aid. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed and firefighters used the station’s automated external defibrillator (AED), according to the report.
When paramedics arrived, Westphal was given several more shocks from an AED but still remained lifeless. Paramedics continued to care for him as they transported Westphal to Froedtert West Bend Hospital. His fellow firefighters took turns doing CPR, the report said.
When they arrived at the hospital, Westphal came back to life, experiencing a return of spontaneous circulation, or ROSC, the report said.
Doctors credit Westphal’s recovery to the continued CPR and AED intervention, according to the report.
Westphal said in the report that he wants to get the word out that CPR saves lives.
