N.C. Crews Revive One of Their Own

May 4, 2010
Gaston County firefighters revived one of their own at the scene of a blaze on May 2, according to The Gaston Gazette.Tryonota Capt. Jim Smarr was battling a fire at a storage unit on Old 277 Loop Road that had spread to a nearby mobile home when he collapsed.The crews had the fire under control when they got news that Smarr was down.Firefighter Kevin Moore was the first to come to his aid.

Gaston County firefighters revived one of their own at the scene of a blaze on May 2, according to The Gaston Gazette.

Tryonota Capt. Jim Smarr was battling a fire at a storage unit on Old 277 Loop Road that had spread to a nearby mobile home when he collapsed.

The crews had the fire under control when they got news that Smarr was down.

Firefighter Kevin Moore was the first to come to his aid.

"The engineer that was pumping our truck told me Jimmy went down. I went over to him and he was in full-blown seizure," he told the newspaper.

He pulled the captain from underneath a fire truck and he and Firefighter Willie Storie delivered oxygen before realizing he was in cardiac arrest.

"He had no pulse at all," Firefighter Matt Kanupp -- who joined to assist his colleagues -- told the newspaper.

Assistant Chief Shane Towery delivered chest compressions and then used an AED on Smarr. At that point, he started breathing and regained consciousness.

"I truly believe that the AED saved that man’s life," Towery told the newspaper.

Smarr was reportedly still in "good condition" as of Monday.

The save included efforts by Tryonota firefighters, the Agriculture Center Volunteer Fire Department and Gaston Emergency Medical Services.

"Their professionalism and the way they handled the situation -- we want to thank everyone," Tryonota Volunteer Fire Chief Tony Cooper said.

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