A call for assistance came to the High Ridge (Mo.) Fire Department from David Jones, an off-duty firefighter from neighboring community Cedar Hill. On his walkie-talkie, he reported that he had just removed a man from his vehicle, which had run off Highway 30 near High Ridge Boulevard and slid into a tree.

In a car on their way to a meeting, High Ridge Assistant Fire Chief John Lakin and Fire Captain Blair Smith heard the call for assistance and made the accident scene their new destination. They were met there by a High Ridge Fire Department rescue vehicle. The team determined that the man was in full cardiac arrest. He was not breathing and had no heart rate. Fire engineer Joe Wayne applied the pads of a Defibtech Lifeline™ automated external defibrillator (AED) to the man’s chest and pressed the shock button.

"The AED did it with the first shock," Smith remembers. "His pulse returned." Soon afterward, an emergency medical services (EMS) ambulance arrived on the scene and took the man to the hospital. "Our job was done," Smith said.

Lakin purchased three more AEDs after the save. "We had such a good result, we bought more," he said. All High Ridge firefighters are trained as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and can use an AED if needed. "An AED is something we always pull off the truck," Smith said. "It's a vital part of any rescue."