By EMS1 Staff
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — An off-duty paramedic is being hailed a hero after saving a man at his neighbor’s house.
Los Angeles Times reported that Newport Beach Fire Department paramedic Steve Martin, a 21-year veteran, was talking to his son when he heard someone knock at the door for help. A man, who was lying on his neighbor’s driveway, wasn’t breathing. The man was in cardiac arrest. Martin started chest compressions until Huntington Beach paramedics arrived.
Arriving paramedics used an AED on the man and were able to regain a pulse, according to the report. The man, who collapsed while moving a clothes dryer, was taken to a hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Newport Beach Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Boyles said the save is a good reminder of why the public should learn the basics of CPR.
“When you have a community that’s trained on CPR and is willing to perform it, there’s a lot better chance of survival when we get on scene,” he said. “Steve was the citizen bridging that gap. It makes a huge difference.”