Brentwood firefighters forced to respond to 911 call on foot

BRENTWOOD, Calif. (KTVU) -- Three firefighters in East Contra Costa County had to cope with an unusual turn of events this weekend when the breakdown of their truck forced them to respond to a call for help on foot.

The firefighters work out of Station #52 in Brentwood. It was already hot at around 11 a.m. Sunday morning when firefighter and EMT Sam Somerhalder and two others headed out to a call in Oakley.

They weren't on the road for long when the fire engine broke down, forcing Somerhalder to pull off Highway 4 at the Jeffrey Way exit.

Somerhalder coasted into the closest parking lot by a restaurant.

While waiting for the tow truck, another call for help came in for a man suffering from cardiac arrest.

Somerhalder and the other two firefighters quickly determined that it was only a quarter mile away at a shoe store in a strip mall.

"We knew we could beat the other engine. And time is of the essence, especially cardiac arrest," said Somerhalder.

Without hesitation, the crew grabbed 60 pounds of gear including a defibrillator and a CPR machine and jogged to the strip mall.

"Minutes count. If we get there a minute before the other engine...that's why we tried," said Somerhalder.

And they did beat the other engine.

"We got some odd looks. Three guys in uniform running with bags on our backs," said the firefighter.
There was another challenge when they arrived.

"The report was that he was in the back of the store. We didn't know if it was the back of the store or outside." said Somerhalder.

Store cashier Maria Bachicha directed them through the back door. Outside, there was a bystander performing CPR on the victim.

Somerhalder and his crew jumped in to help, first with the defibrillator to give the man on the ground a shock, and then the CPR machine to bring back a pulse.

"It feels good. It's what we do. This call was out of ordinary," said Somerhalder.

Bachicha told KTVU the firefighters went beyond the call of duty.

"Those are heroes saving life when it's hot like that. They're always ready to help somebody," she said.

An ordinary medical call that got an extraordinary response. The 29 year old says someday, he'll be telling this tale to his children.

"It's definitely a story that's going to stick in my mind. It's going to be one of those," said Somerhalder.

The man was rushed to the hospital. Somerhalder said the last update was that the man was still in the intensive care unit.