McKinleyville employees help save man’s life with CPR

MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. (KIEM) – From the Arcata Fire District: 

(McKinleyville, CA – This morning, Thursday, June 28, 2018, personnel of the Arcata Fire District responded to an emergency incident with a very positive outcome.

At about 10:00 a.m. an adult male was putting items into a large trash bin at Humboldt Sanitation and Recycling when he experienced a life threatening coronary event. Employees of the business immediately began CPR and called 9-1-1.

The arriving crew of the Arcata Fire District’s McKinleyville Station took over CPR duties from the employees. The use of an “AED” (automatic external defibrillator) became necessary during the emergency process. “The combination of the quick performance of CPR by the employees and early calling of 9-1-1 allowed the fire and ambulance crews to resuscitate the patient, saving his life,” stated Fire Chief, Justin McDonald. By the time the patient was loaded into the ambulance, he was breathing on his own and had pulses.

This incident shows the value of CPR training, early notification of an emergency event via 9-1-1, and the tremendous benefit of having a Fire Station in close proximity allowing rapid response of fire personnel.