Off-duty Selden firefighter uses CPR to save man suffering heart attack

The first responder skills of a Selden volunteer firefighter were put to the test in Brooklyn when he found himself performing CPR on a man who had had a heart attack, the fire department said Friday.

Richie Zdenek, 25, was working at his job as a security officer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fort Hamilton on Thursday afternoon when a fellow security guard, who was leaving for the day, suddenly looked ill.

Zdenek said he asked the 65-year-old man if he was OK. He said he was fine and headed out the door -- only to collapse moments later.

"I ran outside and went to kneel down next to him to see if he was all right, and realized that he wasn't answering," Zdenek said.

The nine-year firefighter rolled the man over and discovered he didn't have a pulse.

"I ripped his shirt open and started doing CPR on him," he said. At the same time, he yelled for someone to notify the VA's emergency room staff.

Zdenek said he performed CPR all the way to the ER, straddling the man while he was on a stretcher.

"I worked him for a good 15 minutes from the parking lot all the way to the ER," Zdenek said.

In the ER, a faint pulse was detected, and eventually the man began breathing on his own again, though it was labored, Zdenek said.

He said his co-worker's wife and grown children called him Friday morning to thank him personally.

Zdenek, who was trained in basic life support through the fire department, said he's never had to use those skills outside of his role as a firefighter before. Throughout the incident, he reminded himself to stay calm.

"All I want is for him to go home to his family, that's all I want," he said. "I'm hoping one day if it ever happens to me, someone will do the same thing -- start right away and not hesitate, not draw a blank, and not scream and holler."

Selden Fire Chief Michael Matteo said the rescue shows that first responders are "never truly off-duty."

"Richie demonstrated exceptional awareness and dedication in assisting this victim and in doing so, greatly improved the patient's odds for survival," Matteo said in a statement. "He also demonstrated how important early CPR is in treating cardiac arrests. . . . We at the Selden Fire Department are extremely proud to call him one of our own."

Zdenek made headlines four years ago when he responded to a fire that claimed his older brother's life. Zdenek told reporters at the time that when he got the text about the fire, he recognized the address as a house where his brother frequently hung out. He hoped he wouldn't be there.

After his brother's death, Zdenek vowed to continue fighting fires.