Local CERT Member Saves Husband’s Life

It was 10 a.m. on Sept. 11 when Anne Anderson-Posnack of Wauconda found her husband, Len, lying on their kitchen floor.

“I found him face down; he was nonresponsive and purple,” Anderson-Posnack said.

Though she did not know it at the time, Len had suffered a heart attack. What she did know was that he had no pulse and was not breathing.

Anderson-Posnack immediately applied skills she learned through her training with the South Lake County Community Emergency Response Team. She graduated from the program in December 2010.

CERT consists, in part, of training in CPR, use of the automated external defibrillator, or  AED, and first-aid, in addition learning what steps to take during a medical emergency.

“Before I did anything to help my husband, I called 9-1-1 and unlocked the front door so the paramedics could get in,” Anderson-Posnack said.

She had to flip her husband over so she could begin CPR, but because she is small-framed and he is 200 pounds, she again relied on her training.

“I grabbed him by his belt and was able to get him on his back, clear his air passage and start CPR,” Anderson-Posnack said.

In the mere five minutes it took for the Wauconda Fire Department to arrive at the home, Anderson-Posnack continued CPR. Within 45 seconds, she began to see color come back to Len’s face.

“I knew I had to keep the blood flowing because it brings oxygen to the brain; it makes a real difference in preventing brain damage,” Anderson-Posnack said.

Paramedics then took over CPR and shocked Len once, but there was no response. After the second jolt, he began to show signs of improvement.

Len then was transported to Good Shepherd Hospital, where he has remained since the day of his heart attack, which was the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“He has some cracked ribs, but he is alive and there is no brain damage, which is an issue with people who do not receive early CPR,” Anderson-Posnack said.  

Len is expected to stay at the hospital until he is stabilized. Then he will be transferred to a rehab center.

“Len’s spirits are very good. He understands he was very fortunate,” Anderson-Posnack said.

Looking back, Anderson-Posnack says for her, the whole event is part fate and part planned intervention.

“Yes, I was trained to know how to do this, but I also think divine intervention plays a part as well,” Anderson-Posnack said. “CERT did give me the skill set to help save my husband’s life, and I feel that was meant to be. Everyone can be trained to do it."

The South Lake County CERT is sponsored by the villages of Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and Long Grove.

Each course is nine weeks long. Participants also are trained in disaster psychology, search and rescue, and fire safety, according to Lake Zurich Fire Chief Dave Wheelock, outgoing CERT coordinator.  

Mickey Wenzel, who will be promoted to captain at the in October, will be taking over for Wheelock.

Wheelock added that on the last day of class, there is a simulated emergency event where CERT members put the triage, search and rescue and other skills they are taught into action.

“During an emergency event, first responders can’t get to everyone immediately and people have to know how to handle emergencies on their own,” said Marc Small, Long Grove Fire Department battalion chief and CERT coordinator.

The first South Lake County Cert class was held in 2006, and members assist at area festivals, traffic details and act as reinforcements for first responders.

In mid-July, three CERT members conducted a search-and-rescue mission after being called in by Long Grove police. The CERT members were able to locate a developmentally delayed man who lost his way at Cuba Marsh and reunite him with his family.

In November 2010, Lake Zurich firefighters received the Cardiac Award from Good Shepherd Hospital for performing early, lifesaving CPR that also enabled a Buffalo Grove man to recover from a heart attack with no brain damage.

For more information on South Lake County CERT, contact Gregg Heinemann at 1-847-910-3619 or visit www.citizencorps.gov.