On July 27, 2024, members of the Slinger Fire Department prepared to respond to a CO alarm activation. One of the members who responded to the station for the call suffered a cardiac emergency after he got behind the wheel of an engine. The calm, cool, and immediate response of the stricken firefighter’s fellow members—from the first compression of CPR to transport to the hospital—allowed his comrades to save one of their own.

​

Westphal responded to the station as driver/motor pump operator of Engine 2164 at approximately 9:00 a.m. for the CO alarm activation in Slinger. He went through his initial steps in advance of moving the apparatus out of the bay, but he never got to the point of shifting the transmission out of park. Sitting in the officer’s seat in the engine with Westphal, Roskopf witnessed Westphal lose consciousness, which was the result of a cardiac emergency.

​

Roskopf alerted the other members of his crew, and Bayer, Bohn, Koerber, McMahon, and Schaefer reacted with zero hesitation. The Engine 2164 team quickly removed Westphal from the rig and assessed him. They determined the need for critical life-saving efforts, including CPR and administration of the fire station’s automated external defibrillator (AED).

​

After a call to 9-1-1 to request paramedics from LifeStar Ambulance, CPR began within one minute, followed quickly by an AED shock.

​

LifeStar Paramedic Natalia Graff and EMT Nathan Massingale were near the station at the time of the call for assistance and responded to take over Westphal’s care and to coordinate CPR efforts. Graff provided ALS while CPR continued, including administering several more AED shocks.

​

Still unresponsive, Westphal was transported quickly to Froedtert West Bend Hospital while paramedics continued to perform CPR on him.

The ambulance’s arrival at the hospital coincided with Westphal experiencing a return of spontaneous circulation, no doubt a result of the CPR efforts and AED intervention. The medical team at Froedtert West Bend determined that it was necessary to transfer Westphal to the Froedtert Main Campus hospital cardiac care center, 22 miles away in Wauwatosa.

​

Over the next several days, Westphal made remarkable improvements toward recovery. Eight days later, he went home with no marked deficiencies that were related to a cardiac emergency.

​

We are proud of our team's quick response and rapid interventions in helping save Firefighter Jeff Westphal.

​

Our sincere appreciation to SFD Fire Chief Greg Koehler and the members of the SFD, including Capt. Tim Roskopf and Firefighters Zack Bayer, Jason Bohn, Mason Koerber, Brady McMahon and Mathias Schaefer.

​