Firefighters save life during Ardsley High School’s homecoming football game

Two Yonkers firefighters are being praised for saving the life of an elderly grandfather over the weekend. While off duty, Lt. Michael Hanney unexpectedly had to use Emergency Medical Technician training

News 12 Staff

•

Sep 23, 2014, 1:23 AM

•

Updated 3,595 days ago

Share:

Two Yonkers firefighters are being praised for saving the life of an elderly grandfather over the weekend.

While off duty, Lt. Michael Hanney unexpectedly had to use Emergency Medical Technician training while at Ardsley High School's homecoming football game on Saturday.

Lt. Thomas Hewitt, a 23-year veteran of the department, also happened to be in the crowd when an 82-year old man lost consciousness.

"When we ran over to him, he was already in respiratory distress, which turned into cardiac arrest," said Hanney. "His face was blue, his lips were blue, and his eyes were rolled back."

Lt. Hanney began with chest compressions, but after a minute, the elderly man still didn't have a pulse and his airway was blocked with food.

Hanney said Lt. Hewitt began doing finger sweeps in the man's airway to dislodge the food.

In about three minutes, the man began to breathe again.

The choking victim was taken to White Plains Hospital, and is expected to make a full recovery.

More from News 12

1:52

Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak

Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

0:34