Off-Duty EMTs, Firefighters Revive Runner Who Had Heart Attack During Doyle's 5-Miler

A 58-year-old man in the 5-mile race on Sunday was running with the right crowd when he suffered a heart attack.

An off-duty emergency medical technician and firefighter happened to be running the race. They immediately stopped to help the man. His heart had stopped.

The two performed CPR on the man, said Jennifer Mehigan, media relations director for Boston Emergency Medical Services. Another EMT and firefighter, who were volunteering at the race, also rushed to help. Using an automated external defibrillator to administer shocks, they revived the man.

The runner was talking and knew where he was before he was taken by ambulance to Brigham & Women's Hospital. Mehigan did not know his condition as of Monday morning, but said that his ability to talk and understand his surroundings were good signs.

"This is just an amazing save," Mehigan said. "This patient was very lucky to have these services all around him."

The first EMTs to respond were Megan Glynn and Kevin Spellman, said Mehigan. Firefighters Jim Riley and Matt Kaiser were also among the first to help, according to witnesses. Two nurses from Brigham & Women's also aided the victim, Mehigan said.

Mehigan said anyone can learn CPR. A list of classes is available at the department's Web site.

[Editor's note: I've replaced "paramedic" with the term "emergency medical technician." Also, the length of the race was corrected.]