Our men & women in uniform work around the clock to save lives. Here are a few stories you might not have seen on the news

A few years ago, for International Firefighters’ Day, we highlighted three real stories of firefighters putting their lives on the line to rescue victims. And since today is National First Responders Day, we thought we’d bring that idea back! 

Our men and women in uniform work around the clock to protect us, and their selfless sacrifices don’t get nearly enough attention.

Below, we’ve featured just a small handful of the countless stories of first responders saving lives this year. We hope they fill you with gratitude and inspire a sense of appreciation for our local heroes, just like they did for us.

When a Doctor Becomes a Patient

Ironically, this story is about a doctor who was on his way to see his doctor, but ended up in the hospital.

In late July, Dr. Mike Nelson was cycling along the streets of San Diego, headed to a medical appointment, when he crashed and fell from his bike. Even though he was wearing a helmet, his head cracked hard on the pavement, causing him to black out. 

Temporarily unconscious, he didn’t know it, but he’d sustained serious injuries. A lot of them. Some of which were life-threatening. The crash was so severe he had a fractured skull, a concussion, minor brain bleeds and bruises, three broken ribs, a broken nose, collar bone, and shoulder, and trauma to his lungs.

But once first responders arrived and found him on the scene, dazed and bloodied, they were able to load him into the ambulance and start heading toward the hospital in less than five minutes. 

Thanks to their speed and efficiency, Nelson was able to thank the responders who saved his life in person just two months later.

Moral of the story? Always wear a helmet when cycling! If Dr. Nelson hadn’t been that day, there’s a very good chance he would’ve lost his life.

Pennsylvania Pool-Side Rescue

This story of a 21-month-old drowning victim required airtight coordination between Pennsylvania police and EMS personnel, and they delivered.

On May 26th, a Cheltenham family stumbled on a disaster when they found their baby had fallen into their pool. They had no idea how long the child had been in the water, but they immediately pulled the child out and began performing CPR until first responders showed up. 

When Officer Lee Thompson arrived, the baby was holding on by a thread, but he quickly stepped in. Not wasting a moment, he cleared the child’s airway, got them breathing again, and moved them to a better spot for continued care. Meanwhile, Officer Brett Thomas helped EMS provide top-notch care, and Officers Dobush and Bernstein got them the medical supplies they needed.

Then, Officers Walsh, Bernstein, and Thompson worked together to plot the fastest route to the hospital, ensuring EMS could quickly transport the child and continue providing life-saving care.

If it weren’t for their incredible teamwork, there’s no telling if the child would have made it. But their training and expertise helped the baby pull through, and several of the Officers and EMS personnel who helped that day rightly received an award from the local Board of Commissioners.

Detroit Officer Saves Unconscious Toddler

On a Monday in mid-February, Sterling Heights Police Officer Thomas Potts received a call about a toddler who had stopped breathing at a local Dollar Store. 

Luckily, Officer Potts was “right down the road” when the call came through, so he was able to arrive quickly and assess the situation.

It was unclear why the child had stopped breathing, but within seconds, Potts moved the toddler from the counter to the floor to give himself more room and a better surface to provide care. There, he checked for a pulse, and when he couldn’t find one, he immediately began hands-only CPR.

The paramedics arrived soon after, picked up where Potts left off, and then brought the child to the hospital. Thanks to the quick and decisive action by Officer Potts and local paramedics, the toddler is alive and well, and the family is undoubtedly over the moon that their little boy was able to pull through.

Off-Duty Officer Rescues Illinois Cardiac Arrest Victim

Matthew Burke had been experiencing bouts of shortness of breath for a few weeks. But all he had to do was sit down and catch his breath and he’d be fine, so he didn’t think much of it. 

But one day, after leaving a yard sale with his wife, they were headed home in separate cars when his vision started blurring and things began to move in slow motion. Following behind him, his wife noticed him drifting into oncoming traffic.

Thankfully, he came to a stop on the curb without any incident, but when his wife rushed to check on him, he was unresponsive, and all the doors were locked.

She gave the back driver’s side window a good beating with a curtain rod she had in her car, but it wouldn’t break. That’s when an off-duty O’Fallon police officer, Gavin Gonzalez, passed through the intersection and saw what was going on. 

He pulled over to find Burke passed out in the driver’s seat. But there was still no way to gain access to the car.

That is, until a quick-thinking bystander showed up with a large rock and offered it to Gonzalez. Surprised but thankful, Gonzalez quickly smashed through the window behind Burke and managed to pull him out. 

Burke was “cold to the touch” and gasping for air—often referred to as agonal breathing, which is usually the result of a stroke or cardiac arrest. But soon after, the gasping stopped, and Gonzalez had to take action.

He began performing CPR and continued until other police officers and EMS personnel arrived. But when the first responders loaded him into the ambulance and began monitoring his vitals, there was no heartbeat.

Burke was effectively dead for three long minutes before they were able to get a pulse reading, and it took two shocks from an AED to bring him back.

From the second Burke stopped breathing to when EMS fired up the AED, officers and EMTs took turns performing chest compressions on him. Other officers directed traffic and cleared the streets to make room for the ambulance. It was a seamless flow of cooperation that prevented catastrophe, saving the life of a husband, and the heart of a wife.

And this was just one of the countless shining examples of what our first responders do for us twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. To all our emergency personnel, we can’t thank you enough, and we hope you know how much you’re appreciated this National First Responders Day!