SLINGER — Volunteer firefighter Jeff Westphal is getting used to being back in the Slinger Fire Department.
It’s the place where he almost lost his life. Westphal was preparing to go out on a call on the morning of July 27 for a carbon monoxide detector activation.
“Just going to another call, mindset same as always,” said Westphal.
He strapped in and prepared to drive the fire engine. That’s when things went black. Westphal lost consciousness in the garage and experienced a cardiac emergency. The truck hadn’t left the garage.
“It was going to be an easy ride, and he just threw a curveball at us,” said Captain Tim Roskopf, who was sitting next to Westphal and first noticed him slump over.
Watch: Slinger firefighter reflects on cardiac emergency and crew that saved his life
That’s when his crew jumped into action, noticing that Jeff was not responding.
Captain Tim Roskopf, Firefighter Jason Bohn, Firefighter Zack Bayer, Firefighter Brady McMahon, Firefighter Mathias Schaefer, and Firefighter Mason Koerber were nearby and started to provide aid.
They immediately began performing CPR. 60 seconds later, one ran to grab the station’s automated external defibrillator (AED) to help Westphal.
“I wasn't going to leave my partner for that day, Jeff; we've become good friends,” said Capt. Roskopf.
Paramedics arrived shortly after. Westphal experienced several shocks from an AED but still remained lifeless.
Paramedics continued to care for him as they transported the volunteer firefighter to Froedtert West Bend Hospital. His fellow firefighters took turns doing CPR.
When they arrived at the hospital, Westphal came back to life, experiencing a return of spontaneous circulation, or ROSC.
“They had me in a induced coma till like Sunday, and they brought me out,” said Westphal. “Then I realized what all happened on Sunday.”
Doctors said it was all due to the continued CPR and AED intervention, which are the reasons Jeff is still standing today.
Westphal was eventually transported to Froedtert Main Campus Cardiac Care in Wauwatosa for continued care.
By August 4, he was out of the hospital and on pace to make a successful recovery.
TMJ4’s Mike Beiermeister asked Jeff if he ever thought he’d be on the other end of the call.
“Never, but it opens your eyes,” said Westphal.
Jeff can’t thank his team enough for having his back when it mattered most.
“The only reason I'm doing this is to just get the word out,” said Jeff. “CPR saves lives.”
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