PETERSBURG, Va. —A Petersburg fire captain is being credited with saving a life for the second time in eight months.
Tuesday was supposed to be a routine vehicle extrication training day for Petersburg firefighters at Circle Auto Recycling, which donates cars for area fire departments to use in training exercises.
"We were here operating as normal," Jason Chase, of Circle Auto Recycling, said.
Then came cries for help from the front of the property.
"I heard three or four people actually saying that there was a customer out front that looked like he was choking," Chase said. "There was a couple of guys, they'd opened up the door, got him out of the vehicle and were attempting to perform the Heimlich Maneuver."
At the same time, someone ran toward the firefighters to ask for help. Capt. Cody Edlin jumped into action.
"I sprinted over here just to see what the situation was, cause you know, somebody choking, you really only have one to two minutes, somebody can go unconscious," Edlin said.
Edlin took over and applied his training.
"I knew where to place my hands and I started the Heimlich maneuver," he said.
As Edlin worked, Chase watched the man's condition deteriorate.
"He was completely limp. Eyes were closed, he just kinda slumped over in his arms," Chase said.
Edlin said he knew time was running out.
"I was about one or two thrusts away from starting CPR," he said.
His technique worked.
"We noticed the object come out of the person's mouth and he started talking again," Edlin said.
"To watch him physically lift this guy and to do the Heimlich in the way it was done, unreal. Absolutely unreal," Chase said.
With the man breathing again, other firefighters stepped in to assist.
"They brought over their equipment, checking his vitals, talking to him, just making sure everything was cleared," Chase said.
It is not the first time Edlin has saved a life outside of a call.
Last August, while off duty at a Henrico County park, Edlin used his young son's EpiPen to save a woman who had stopped breathing after an allergic reaction.
Chase said the outcome Tuesday could have been far worse without Edlin's presence.
"I'm pretty sure we would have lost him," Chase said.
Edlin said choking is common in young children and older adults, which is why he encourages everyone to take a CPR class, which also teaches the Heimlich maneuver.
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