By Chris Smith
The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif.
SANTA ROSE — As an even younger man, Santa Rosa’s Andy Kilsheimer, who’s now 29, planned to become a paramedic.
Six years ago, Andy took emergency medical technician training at SRJC. Today he’s awfully glad he did.
Happy too, presumably, is the family of the 6-year-old boy who showed no signs of life when a friend of Andy’s pulled the child from the bottom of an apartment-house pool last Sunday and Andy went to work trying to revive him.
Andy lives there at the Estancia Apartments on Old Redwood Highway with his wife, Ashley, and their 10-month-old daughter, Harper. Having long ago changed his mind about becoming a paramedic, Andy works in shipping, receiving and inventory at the Epicenter sports and entertainment complex.
Last Sunday he and Ashley had some friends over for an afternoon party. At the same time, a neighbor hosted a birthday party for a child and allowed the kids to use the pool.
At about 1:30 p.m., there were maybe eight people in the pool and an equal number on the deck. Ashley Kilsheimer sat on the edge, dipping her toddler’s legs in the water, when she spotted what appeared to be a child on the bottom of the pool.
She shouted to friend Eric Kepley, who was swimming. He dived for the little boy.
Andy was nearby and heard his wife call, “Andy, get over here!” He ran over and helped Eric lift the child onto the pool deck.
“He was completely lifeless,” said Andy, who since 2011 has been re-certified as an EMT every two years. He saw that the boy had no pulse and his eyes were rolled back.
Andy commenced chest compressions. After about 30 seconds, the boy threw up some water and vomit. Andy rolled him onto one side and cleared his mouth, then resumed compressions.
He figures another minute had passed when “a ton more water and vomit came out.” Andy had begun a third round of compression when the kid gasped deeply, opened his eyes and screamed wildly, inconsolably.
Andy told him after a few minutes, “Hey, you have to calm down, buddy.”
Ambulance paramedics and Rincon Valley firefighters ran up about then. The little boy who minutes earlier lay dead or nearly so at the bottom of the pool was hastened to a hospital, where he was checked out and released to his family.
His rescuer, Andy, said, “I’m just so happy he’s alive.”
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(c)2017 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)