Many heartfelt thank-yous highlighted a Huntley Fire Protection District gathering.
Sun City resident Dennis Wolff thanked Huntley Fire Protection District members, 911 dispatchers and Huntley Police Officers for teaming together to save his life.
Wolff, 79, was walking at the Del Webb Fitness Center Dec. 6, 2022, when two retired nurses, Barb Verdich and Nancy Parente, noticed something was wrong. Wolff had suffered a cardiac arrest. But the two retired nurses quickly assisted Wolff with administering CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) before he was transported to Northwest Medicine Huntley Hospital.
“They recognized what was going on quickly and called 911 and Dispatcher Matt Krows took the call,” Huntley Fire Protection
District Lt. Kelly Gitzke said.
Wolff said at the fire department Celebration of Life Feb. 21 that he and his wife Linda moved to Huntley last summer. He said he is feeling well during his recovery process.
“It is just something you immediately do,” Huntley Police Officer Doug Ingallinera, who also on the response call, said.
Krows, a 22-year dispatcher for the Village of Huntley, noted this celebration was special “because I usually don’t find out about the result.”
There were multiple calls going on at the time of Wolff’s cardiac arrest, as one unit had just been at Northwestern Medical Huntley Hospital.
Citizen bystander CPR has increased in recent months at the Huntley Fire Protection District station No. 1.
“We have instructed 1,000 citizens in 650 classes,” Gitzke, who is director of Mobile Integrated Health for HFPD, said. “It’s showing up in the community as the national average for cardiac arrest survival saves is 5 % and in Huntley it is 20 %.”
First responders present for the save who took over administering CPR and subsequent transport of the patient received commendations Feb. 21.
“SEECOM (Southeast Emergency Communications) received a 911 call for a patient who was not conscious and not breathing at the Del Webb Fitness Center,” the commendation read.
The commendation continued, “dispatch began CPR instructions to the bystanders. Within eight minutes of Huntley Fire Protection District personnel arrival, the patient had a return of spontaneous circulation. The crew continued to provide post-arrest care until transferring care to Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital Emergency Department staff. The quick response and immediate actions significantly contributed to this patient’s survival and subsequent recovery from a sudden cardiac arrest.”
Huntley first responders honored at the ceremony were: SEECOM Dispatcher Krows; Huntley Police Department Officer Doug Ingallianera; HFPD Battalion Chief Brian Harders; HFPD Battalion Chief Eric Bentley; Lt. David Stadie; Lt. Kelly Gritzke; Firefighter-Paramedics Anthony Pompa, Nick Russell and Mike Warchal; Firefighter-EMT-Bs Nick Barchigi and Carter Fitch.
