CALDWELL, Idaho — The Caldwell Fire Department are recognizing its first recipients of the Citizens Hero Recognition. YMCA staff responded to Adalberto Sosa who had had a heart attack by providing CPR and defibrillation with an AED. Caldwell Fire and Canyon County Paramedics arrived on scene and Sosa is currently making a full recovery.
- The critical window before even minor brain damage is 5 minutes.
- YMCA staff provided CPR and AED defibrillation within moments of Adalberto's collapse.
- Treasure Valley YMCA offers CPR certifications and you can find that information here. Caldwell Fire told me, "you never know when you're going to use it. It can be used at any time, whether it's on family members or bystanders."
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"I started feeling exhausted and when I slowed down... I started noticing that my heart wasn't slowing down," YMCA guest Adalberto Sosa says, "My heart was really fast. And I slowed down the machine. I started walking. And things started getting a little fuzzy. And I couldn't see well. And I thought— I need to stop the machine."
And that's when Adalberto Sosa's world went black. He had a heart attack.
A month later, the Caldwell Fire Department is giving out its first Citizen's Hero Recognition. YMCA staff responded immediately, a testament to their preparation.
The Executive Director of the Caldwell YMCA says, "We have staff throughout the whole facility that are trained in CPR, First Aid and AED."
Alberto has eight children. "It would have been really devastating because I have young kids. I don't know how the news would have been for them. But it would have been really bad," he says.
Y staff provided life-saving CPR and defibrillation until Caldwell Fire arrived followed by Canyon County Paramedics.
Caldwell Fire's Deputy Chief of Operations Matt Shupe told me "When our crews arrived, they noticed the staff working the patient performing high-quality CPR with defibrillation and transferred care to our crews, and then they continued on with another defibrillation."
"It was very much a team effort from the YMCA staff to us. It took every one of us to bring Adalberto back," added Canyon County EMS.
Caldwell fire told me that the speed of the YMCA staff was crucial to Alberto's recovery— the critical window before even minor brain damage is 5 minutes.
"I am doing a lot better and if it wasn't for the staff of the Y, from what I understand, my chances of walking, talking, not survival, but just basic stuff were really slim. And just the fact that I'm talking to you right now, it's a really good testament of what they were doing," Adalberto adds.