On Sunday, just before midnight, a 30-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest in his Bnei Brak home and his relatives immediately alerted emergency services.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Aharon Lerer was about to go to bed when his communications device beeped. He put on his shoes and a sweater and rushed to his car to drive to the scene. He arrived in under 90 seconds! Another first responder had just arrived and began a rapid check-up of the man, the father of four, who was pulseless and not breathing.
Aharon quickly initiated CPR, performing chest compressions on the young father, while the other EMT attached his defibrillator. After administering the first electric shock, a mobile intensive care crew arrived at the scene.
“The cooperation among all the first responders at the scene was excellent,” recalled Aharon after the incident. “We continued with five more rounds of shocks and chest compressions while the paramedic administered medication to the patient. We worked for about 25 minutes until the patient was transported to the hospital, still undergoing resuscitations.”
Aharon stayed with the family to provide support to the man’s wife and mother until members of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit arrived to treat them for emotional and psychological shock, and stayed with them to help them process what had just happened.
“While I was there, we were told that our efforts had paid off and the man had regained his pulse in the ambulance on the way to the hospital,” Aharon said. “The sense of relief in the room was palpable.”
“It’s extremely fulfilling to be able to help people,” he said. “The simple act of saving lives is extraordinary. Moments like this are the reason I decided to volunteer with United Hatzalah seven years ago.”
