On July 24, at Bowl-Hi Lanes, a 57-year-old bowler went into cardiac arrest. Bowlers began bystander CPR. Now, Robert McIntyre is alive and doing well because there were individuals who were trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
CPR can increase survival for cardiac arrest victims by up to four times.
Battalion Chief Brian Harders said, “We received a call at first for a fall, but then it was changed to an individual not breathing and in cardiac arrest. When we got there, there are four people performing CPR. We performed advanced CPR, and got a normal heart rate. By the time we got to the hospital, he was awake. The importance of bystander CPR cannot be understated. Without their action, there is a risk of brain damage. Resuscitation attempts outside hospitals each year in the United States have an average survival rate of 9 percent. In Huntley, the percentage is 33 percent.”
Along with Harders, fire fighters Keith Schroeder, David Buckel, Chris Jagels, and Bryton Crosby, were recognized for their efforts in successfully saving a life.
Derek Bradberry, Joanna Sharp, John Felske, and Hailey Schneider all received recognition for their part in saving McIntyre’s life.
Schneider said, “I get trained/certified regularly because I’m an ultrasound technologist at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove. Both of us (John) are in agreement that we’re glad the incident happened with people around who could help and call for help rather than it happening on the way home or at home by himself. Also, the CPR training definitely helped with my confidence in attempting to save his life, it was a very scary situation and we all snapped into action when we saw the signs that his condition was worsening.”
Bradberry said, “It was a very surreal experience. One second you are bowling with all your friends and the next you are performing CPR. I am a teacher at Cambridge Lakes Charter School in Pingree Grove so I am required to do the CPR training. Thank you to all the professionals who travel around to different workplaces to provide this training. In that situation, you don’t need to think and your brain just takes over and I’m just glad we were all there to help out.”
McIntyre expressed his thanks to those who came to his aid.
He said, “I’m so happy to have friends that stepped up and helped save my life, without them I would not be here today. The group of friends that bowl with me at Bowl Hi have been bowling together for a lot of years, these are great people, and a lot of them are close friends of mine and what I call ‘the bowling family.’ Bowling is a family in my eyes, and we look out for each other. I would also like to thank all that were there or helped get the right responders there and the Huntley Fire Department for having a special award to present to the people who helped save lives. We don’t do that enough in this day of age to reward people that step up.”
Harders underscored the importance of CPR training.
“We want everyone to take the training and learn CPR. It’s a very simple thing to learn, but it can all the difference for someone if you’re in the right situation at the right time. You can give someone a second chance at life,” he said.
The Huntley Fire Protection District is hosting Heart Saver CPR/AED classes every month. The CPR/AED class is certified through the American Heart Association. To register for any of these classes go to www.huntleyfpd.org/cpr-classes.
