BUTTE - You never know when life-saving CPR can come in handy. Well, it sure came in handy at this Butte gym about a year ago when a man went into full cardiac arrest, flatlined. Fortunately, an off-duty EMT was there and was able to bring that man back from the grip of death.
“I fell down dead. No breathing, no heartbeat, no consciousness,” said Ralph Boerner.
Boerner, 73, after working out at Fitness Courts, suddenly passed out in the locker room last summer. Ron Rooney was taking a shower at the gym when someone alerted him. He and another man, who was a registered nurse, immediately began CPR.
WATCH: Butte Gym Incident: 73-Year-Old Revived by Quick-Thinking EMT and Nurse
“The impressive part is his willingness to drop everything and come out and help someone, and, in my case, bring them back to life,” said Boerner.
Rooney was one of 28 first responders at a ceremony Wednesday who were awarded the Copper Heart for saving a life. Rooney gives credit to the NR and a police officer who used a portable defibrillator on the victim.
“If it wasn’t for a team effort between the three of us, Ralph wouldn’t be here right now,” said Rooney, who is an EMT with A-1 Ambulance in Butte.
Rooney was awarded for his quick actions in administering CPR.
“He went in with a towel wrapped around him and started doing it, you know, everybody thinks that’s a joke, it’s not, he did it,” said A-1 Ambulance President Mike McGree.
Boerner survived death, and even though he still has medical challenges, is grateful to be alive.
“Too many of us forget that a large part of whether or not we enjoy life is our willingness to look for it, give joy out and move on with gratitude,” he said.
