Air Force Reservist saves Sheriff's Deputy

May 14, 2009

Ross B., Associate Technician in the Flagstaff area, demonstrated the value of CPR training when performing his tour duty with the Air Force Reserves.
Special Agent and Commanding Officer Todd L. explains that his organization sponsored a liaison "shooting competition" for the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in southwest Oklahoma.   Just as the event was getting started, one of the local sheriff's deputies collapsed and started having seizure-like convulsions.  The second that Ross heard there was a medical emergency he rushed over to the deputy and started to assess his condition.  The man was not breathing and did not have a pulse.  Ross, along with another Air Force member immediately started performing CPR on the deputy.   They continued to perform CPR on him for close to 15 minutes until the ambulance arrived.  The deputy started to come around three different times before the ambulance arrived but then "died" again seconds later.  Ross never gave up or quite, he kept leading the life saving measures.

The EMT had to shock the deputy three times before his heart started beating on it's own.  They stabilized the man and transported him to the local hospital where he was sitting upright and talking within an hour of the incident.  The deputy had suffered a massive heart attack and had literally died three or four times.  Since then, the deputy has had a triple by-pass heart surgery and is recovering and happy to be alive.