Off-duty Kootenai County first responder saves neighbor during cardiac arrest

An off-duty Kootenai County first responder revived a neighbor in cardiac arrest with CPR, and the neighbor survived. He and his wife are now being publicly recognized after Kootenai County Fire & Rescue put a public spotlight on the rescue.

The speed of that response is what makes the difference in cardiac arrest. The CDC’s Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival found that only 33.3% of patients received bystander CPR, and the CDC says one study found survival rates as high as 70% when an AED is used within two minutes of collapse. In other words, the first compressions and the first shock, if one is available, can matter before an ambulance reaches the door.

Kootenai County Fire & Rescue has been pushing that message locally through training. The department says it offers a free self-taught Hands-Only CPR class, and it has also taught Hands-Only CPR at Post Falls High School, where six periods of health classes brought about 300 students into a single training day. Its training center is at 5271 E. Seltice Way in Post Falls.

The rescue underscores the chain families in Kootenai County want in place before a 911 crew arrives: someone nearby who knows CPR, and an AED close enough to use fast. That combination turned an off-duty response into a life saved, and it is exactly why local CPR training keeps showing up in the county’s schools, fire district outreach and neighborhood conversations.