Image Credit: Facebook / Kamloops Fire Fighters Charitable Association

By Kamloops Fire Fighters Charitable Society

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Four months after his near-death experience, Firefighter Mike is back on the job

Feb 18, 2020 | 4:40 PM

THESE PICTURES may look like a fairly routine start of shift for any first responder out there, but there’s a lot more to the story, and even a few lessons. The sheer length of this breaks all the rules for posting on social media, but we promise its worth a read.

Mike, the Acting Lieutenant today, is tagging into the Rescue Truck at the beginning of his day shift. This is something he’s done many times, but this time is his first in four months. On October 15th, 2019, while on days off in the community of Blue River, Mike was having lunch with two friends, who also happened to be off-duty Kamloops firefighters. He hadn’t been feeling well all day, and the group of them thought an early lunch might make him feel better. As they ate their food, talked about their lives, and exchanged the odd jab (pretty typical dinner table talk at the firehall), Mike suddenly went unconscious and slumped over his plate at the table. His co-workers didn’t know what was going on, thinking he could be having a seizure or something like that. After getting him to the floor and checking his vitals, as we’re trained to do, they realized they couldn’t find a pulse. Mike’s heart had stopped.

Mike’s co-workers immediately reacted and started CPR, exposing his chest, performing chest compressions, and breathing for him. At this point, many of the patrons of the restaurant gathered around, and someone was asked to find an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). There wasn’t one close by, but one was eventually found at a local business and brought to the restaurant. Once hooked up, with pads appropriately placed on Mike’s body, the machine analyzed the electrical activity in his heart and began to charge to shock it back into rhythm. Mike’s body jolted, and he temporarily regained consciousness, followed by losing his pulse again. Mike’s co-workers, along with a few bystanders at this point, resumed CPR and repeated the cycle they had just been through. This happened again, and again, and again.

Amid the chaos, 9-1-1 had been called, and paramedics with BC Emergency Health Services arrived to assist those trying to help their friend/co-worker/complete stranger. Given the critical nature of the situation, an Air Ambulance was also dispatched. After what seemed like an eternity (which is completely understandable, given the circumstances and remote location) the helicopter arrived with the elite paramedics who ride in it, and they continued to work to regain a pulse and stabilize their patient. This pulse did return, and Mike was loaded into the helicopter and transported to Kelowna General Hospital, where he’d be met by a team of cardiologists. Mike’s condition worsened on the flight, losing his pulse a couple more times, but with the work of the incredible paramedics, it did return and was present when he arrived in Kelowna.

Mike was rushed into surgery, where they would try to figure out what was going on and fix the problem. They found some blockages in his heart, cleared them as best they could, and put him in intensive care under an induced coma. His body was also cooled to prevent any further damage. How long he would remain like this was anyone’s guess, but Mike’s condition was critical and everyone in his life was preparing for the worst.

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Mike’s condition showed some signs of improvement over the first 48 hours, which led to the doctors beginning the initial phases of waking him up, which included re-warming his body. This was to be done gradually, while keeping him asleep. As Mike’s body warmed, he began to unconsciously stir around in his bed, and the doctors made the decision to try waking him up.

In what can only be described as a miracle, Mike woke up and actually started talking to the nurses. This came as a complete surprise, and after some initial testing, Mike’s very, very happy wife and two children were allowed to see him as he was when they saw him last, aside from all the wires and tubes attached.

Mike’s recovery was slow and frustrating, but today he’s back riding on a big red truck, doing what he loves.

Mike had dozens of medical professionals attend to him in those first few days, but immediate CPR was likely what saved his life. Having first responders, nurses, and doctors (who just happened to be at the restaurant when this all went down) who were trained in what to do in an emergency kept him going until he could receive a higher level of care.

There are steps we can all take to prepare ourselves for these kinds of situations, as well as mitigate the risks of it happening to us. Regular medical check-ups to assess our heart health could uncover early warning signs of a cardiovascular event. There are also many organizations out there that provide First Aid training, in whatever city you live in, and we encourage everyone to enroll yourself, as well as your family members. Hopefully you’d never use it, but a simple CPR course could bring some “calm” to the chaos that ensues when someone collapses in front of you — and may even save a life.

Thank-you to everyone who made it this far in this post, and join us in congratulating Mike on his first day back!

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.