APPLETON, Wis. — Fox Valley Technical College EMT students were practicing a simulated heart attack response when the training suddenly became real.
Karl Arps, a longtime EMS adjunct instructor, went into cardiac arrest in the back of a practice ambulance during an EMT-basic class. Students first thought the new symptoms were part of the scenario before realizing Arps needed emergency care, the college said in a statement.
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“I saw his hand curl outward and his head kind of turned away,” student Logan Lehrer said. “My initial thought was that he’s doing another scenario on me and I’ve got to figure out these new symptoms.”
Instructor Traci Blondeau and the students quickly took over, beginning to treat Arps.
CPR began quickly, and an AED was applied within 90 seconds. After nearly four and a half minutes of CPR and two shocks, Arps was stabilized and taken to a hospital, where he later underwent triple bypass surgery.
“I’m one in one million. I feel like I’m one in one trillion,” Arps said. “I had a heart attack, a ‘widow maker.’ I was dead.”
Arps has been out of the hospital for about a month, is preparing for physical therapy and hopes to return to work soon.
Since his cardiac arrest, Arps has reflected on the moment his students put their training into action and became his lifeline. He has spoken modestly about his recovery, but their calm, quick response left a lasting impression.
“What can I say to six students that saved my life?” he said. “Thank you doesn’t seem like enough. They learned it correctly and they put it into action. It’s something that I will never forget.”
