SANTA ANA – Two Orange County firefighters say they were on autopilot Friday when they revived a man who went into cardiac arrest during a flight from John Wayne Airport to Houston.
“It’s not a job or career, it’s a way of life,” said Alex Van, 53, who is a firefighter/emergency medical technician and former paramedic from Long Beach with more than 30 years of experience.
Van and firefighter/paramedic Donovan George, 32, of Huntington Beach were about an hour into United Flight 333, which was taking them to Texas A&M University for special training, when the emergency occurred.
The pair are also canine search specialists, and their dogs, Winnie, a 4-year-old Australian shepherd/cattle dog mix and Ollie, 3-year-old setter mix, were traveling with them and sat at their feet.
Van said he had exited the restroom when he heard a ruckus and noticed a man who appeared pale and was cool to the touch and sweating profusely.
“I asked him if he was OK, and he collapsed into my arms,” Van said.
That’s when Van’s and George’s training took over. Van began administering CPR to the man – a 72-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., whose heart had stopped – and then asked the flight attendants to retrieve the plane’s automated external defibrillator and medical kit. George used an IV from the kit to begin life support to the passenger.
Van informed the pilot about the emergency, and he landed the jet at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. When the plane landed, the man was conscious, alert and had stable vital signs, George said. He was taken off the plane by Phoenix firefighters to a hospital.
When the plane finally landed in Houston, Van and George received a round of applause from their fellow passengers. But George said the most rewarding part was being able to help someone.
“This is something we do every day,” George said. “This was a circumstance where we were needed.”
714-796-7767 or sschwebke@ocregister.com, or on Twitter @thechalkoutline
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