Man Rescued By Bystanders, SDFD Returns To San Diego To Thank Saviors

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego Fire-Rescue Department personnel will Thursday reunite with a man they saved by administering cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and other medical interventions.

Tim Gagen, 69, suffered sudden cardiac arrest on June 9, while riding his bike in the Point Loma area, a SDFD statement read. Bystanders immediately called 911. The SDFD dispatcher sent the crew from Station 15 and an ambulance crew while she gave CPR instructions over the phone. A nurse was also in the area and stopped to help. Engine company 15 arrived within five minutes and took over Gagen's medical care.

"Our crews don't often get the chance to meet the people they save," said Fire-Rescue Chief Colin Stowell. "We appreciate the Gagens asking for the opportunity to express their gratitude to the crew and share their story with the public. To know that Mr. Gagen has made a full recovery is very rewarding."

According to SDFD, this isn't the first time Gagen has been revived after a medical emergency. Within the past two years, he suffered a medical crisis because of blood clots in his lungs. In that emergency, he was revived by the Flight for Life Colorado crew.

Gagen and his wife, Ann, are from Mesa, Arizona, and spend several months in San Diego each year. They met the crew of SDFD Engine 15 a couple months ago but "wanted to share their story publicly in the hopes of learning the identities of the bystanders who also helped," the department statement read.

— City News Service