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On March 9, Fairfield’s Emergency Communications Center received a call reporting a bicyclist down on the side of the road at Black Rock Turnpike and North Street. The cyclist, described as a man in his 50s, was experiencing medical difficulty.
“Upon arrival of Fire Engine 5, Christine Finerty, an off-duty nurse, Michael Labella and Chris Arnold were performing CPR to the patient, who had no pulse,” said the report filed by Fire Lt. Jay Swindon.
Firefighters took over the man's care, continued CPR, and applied an Automatic External Defibrillator carried on their firetruck to the victim, the report said. After several shocks, the man began to breathe.
“After we applied the shocks, I told him to grab my hand and he did.” said Firefighter/Paramedic Jerry McGuire.
AMR Ambulance arrived and worked with firefighters to provide advanced care. Fairfield Police officers assisted in moving the man to the ambulance, which transported the man to St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport.
“The stars aligned and the system worked even better than designed,” said Assistant Chief George Gomola, the incident commander. “Who could have imagined that a remote scenic location would be the perfect place to have a heart attack? Three Good Samaritans with CPR training stopped to help the fallen cyclist. With guidance from our telecommunicators, they monitored the victim’s vital signs and began CPR when his pulse stopped. Our TCs did a great job supporting the civilian rescuers and relaying information from the scene to emergency responders.
"The calm guidance and reassurance they provided set the stage for a very successful outcome," he said. "The crew from Engine 5 used their AED to shock the victim’s heart back to life. Fairfield Police assisted with patient care, provided scene stability, and traffic control. AMR provided advanced medical care on scene and enroute to the hospital. This was truly a job well done by all.”
Wednesday’s incident occurred a week after Fairfield was designated as a HEARTSafe Community by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
“This is a perfect example of the Chain of Survival is so important and effective,” said Fire Chief Denis McCarthy. “Fairfield residents and visitors are safer thanks not only to our well-trained telecommunicators and first responders, but to the many civilians in our community who recognize the emergency, call 911, and initiate CPR prior to our arrival. We encourage all residents to get training in CPR and become part of Fairfield’s chain of survival.”
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