When there is an emergency, calling 9-1-1 is what we instinctively do. Within minutes, assistance is on its way to help, whether it is a fire, accident or medical call.
Reece Chambers, 41, a lieutenant with East Jefferson Fire-Rescue (EJFR), is one of those dedicated professionals who often answers the call and renders aid.
On Friday, instead of helping others, he was on the receiving end of care.
East Jefferson Professional Firefighters said Chambers had been No. 1 on the wait list for a new heart and a compatible donor had finally been found after the stress of his work made it evident his heart needed more help.
Chambers spent three months at the fire academy as a company officer in 2017 but the work he did there impacted a previously diagnosed heart condition — cardiomyopathy.