SNOHOMISH — Bryan Kaestner is thanking Snohomish taxpayers from the bottom of his heart.
Kaestner, 42, says he owes his life to a new paramedic who revived him after he suffered a heart attack while playing flag football in Snohomish.
The paramedic, Dave Alberts, started working just last month after voters in April approved a tax increase to pay for full-time paramedics in Snohomish County District 4. The district had attempted to pass the levy five times since 2001.
“In my mind, the taxpayers already got their money’s worth,” Kaestner said. “I don’t live there but I spend a lot of time there and my family is thankful.”
The Marysville man was playing flag football with off-duty firefighters and police officers the Sunday after Thanksgiving. He got a cramp in his leg. He jogged to the sidelines to get a drink and collapsed.
His heart stopped, fire officials said.
Snohomish firefighters Whitney Mansfield and Todd Cole began CPR to keep blood pumping to his vital organs and provide oxygen to his brain. Someone called 911.
Alberts reached the Snohomish Freshman Campus in just a few minutes. He used a defibrillator and medication to revive Kaestner.
A quick response from a paramedic can mean the difference between life and death for heart attack and stroke patients, according to medical professionals. Paramedics can administer medicine and provide advanced life-support beyond what firefighters or an emergency medical technician can do.
“These guys were doing the job they’re trained to do,” Snohomish Deputy Fire Chief Ron Simmons said. “I think that what got to guys on the field is they didn’t have their equipment. They weren’t in that mind-set. But they saw a need to help someone and they know how to do that.”
Doctors placed a stent in Kaestner’s heart. He’s on a regimen of medications. He said he didn’t have any symptoms before the heart attack. He kept an eye on his blood pressure and cholesterol but there is a history of heart disease in his family.
He feels fortunate that the people around him that Sunday were trained to do CPR.
“People tell me I’m lucky. I think it’s a shame more people aren’t trained to do CPR,” Kaestner said. “How many people are in that kind of situation when they have a heart attack?”
Since his heart attack, his family and friends have agreed they need to be prepared for an emergency and are planning to take CPR classes.
The fast response by the off-duty firefighters and the paramedic saved his life and prevented him from having any lasting effects, he said. He’s already back to work.
“I’m extremely thankful,” Kaestner said. “I’m alive today because of the guys on the field.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
