By chance, the two instances of cardiac arrest both took place at Food 4 Less — and both saw ordinary people stepping up to help save a life. Now Medford Fire-Rescue wants to recognize those citizens for their heroism.
"Over the Christmas holiday, two separate incidents occurred roughly a week apart at the same location, Food 4 Less, in Medford," said Melissa Cano, Emergency Manager for the City of Medford. "Both incidents involved two different Cardiac Arrest patients requiring the performance of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and Automated External Defibrillation (AED)."
The first event, according to Cano, happened on December 22 when a car crashed into the Food 4 Less building around noon. Several employees and one customer ran to the driver's aid — finding that she was unresponsive and not breathing.
Calling for help, the group turned off the vehicle, pulled the driver out, and began performing CPR. One employee ran to grab an AED unit. An officer with Medford Police soon arrived to assist, followed by firefighters with Medford Fire-Rescue who relieved the others.