In November 2019, a local father sustained cardiac arrest at his daughter’s soccer game at the Clay County Soccer Complex. It was the last thing Chad Eason, 39, expected to happen.
Luckily, help was nearby. Thanks to the quick-thinking nurse and off-duty firefighter in the crowd watching their child play, they kept Eason’s blood pumping until paramedics arrived on the scene. Clay County Fire Rescue Training Captain Billy Futch remembers the day vividly.
The initiative of the two bystanders and the fast-acting fire rescue department saved this man’s life.
“He was there to watch his daughter play soccer, and he’s still alive to watch his kids grow up and be a part of their life. It’s an amazing, easy thing to do,” Futch said.
Futch is now a training safety officer for Clay County Fire Rescue. He’s also trained Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Clay County Emergency Management officials, as well as many first responders from across Northeast Florida.