Emergency responders meet the people they saved
A group of people who survived incidents of cardiac arrest met with the first responders who saved their lives at a ceremony on Randalls Island Wednesday. Thirteen grateful survivors met EMTs and other
News 12 Staff
•
May 19, 2016, 3:20 AM
•
Updated 2,896 days ago
Share:
A group of people who survived incidents of cardiac arrest met with the first responders who saved their lives at a ceremony on Randalls Island Wednesday.
Thirteen grateful survivors met EMTs and other first responders with hugs and thank yous at the Second Chance Ceremony.
"It was like seeing my guardian angels," said Michael McClenan, a 57-year-old who had stopped in a Brooklyn parking lot before collapsing. Paramedics arrived and saved his life.
First responders respond to more than 1 million emergency calls a year in New York City, but sometimes they need help too.
Kenny Ruane, a retired firefighter, said he never imagined he would one day be on the receiving end of a call. But one day, his wife found him gasping for air and dialed 911.
"Forty-three years to be on the fire department, then to be saved by the fire department, couldn't be better than that," Ruane said.
