Press releases

Quick action by off-duty Edina Paramedic/Firefighter helps save man’s life

Edina, Minn., April 19, 2010 – Just because Edina Paramedic/Firefighter Brian Hanrahan is off-duty, it doesn’t mean he is off the job.

While at his Edina home on Sunday, April 18, Hanrahan heard the all-too-familiar squawk of his pager just before 4 p.m. The dispatcher on the other end indicated that an 84-year-old man had taken a fall just down the street from Hanrahan’s home.

From his driveway, Hanrahan saw a crowd of people standing over the individual a few houses away. He reacted immediately by telling his wife he was going to run down to his neighbor’s home to see if he could help. As Hanrahan approached the crowd, he was told the man was not breathing and quickly recognized that the man had gone into cardiac arrest.

Hanrahan began CPR within one minute of the initial 9-1-1 call. Within four minutes from the time of the call, an ambulance crew arrived and the unconscious man was shocked with a defibrillator, restoring his heart rhythm.

The man was brought to the emergency room, and according to one of Hanrahan’s colleagues who responded on the ambulance, was conscious and speaking within 25 minutes.

According to the American Heart Association, CPR provided immediately after cardiac arrest can double a victim’s chance of survival by maintaining blood flow to the heart and brain until an electric shock from a defibrillator can be given. A cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 to 10 percent for every minute CPR is not given.

“Brian’s quick response gave this man a significantly better chance of survival,” said Edina Fire Chief Marty Scheerer. “This is a prime example of the importance of knowing CPR and performing it immediately. You don’t have to be a paramedic -- everyone should learn how to do it.”
For Hanrahan, however, it was just part of the job.

The American Heart Association and Twin Cities Area Red Cross offer a variety of First Aid and CPR training and refresher courses across the metro area. Visit www.americanheart.org/CPR or www.redcrosstc.org/classes and click on “CPR Classes” for dates and locations.

For more information, visit www.CityofEdina.com/Fire or call the Edina Fire Department at 952-826-0330.