Bystander CPR and on-site AED, plus Plattsburgh responders, revive man at high school football game; mayor issues proclamation

On Nov. 8, 2024, a spectator suffered sudden cardiac arrest in the bleachers during the sectional playoff football game at Plattsburgh High School. Bystanders began chest compressions, school staff retrieved an automated external defibrillator (AED) and Plattsburgh Fire Department emergency medical crews arrived within minutes and achieved a return of spontaneous circulation before transporting the patient to the hospital, officials said.

The situation demonstrates how immediate bystander action, an accessible AED and coordinated emergency response can change an outcome, local officials told a City of Plattsburgh event honoring the people involved.

Chief Scott Lawless, Plattsburgh fire chief, said the department responds to roughly 4,000 calls for service a year and introduced the group gathered to recognize the rescue. “The men and women of the Plattsburgh Fire Department are trained and ready to answer the citizens in need,” Lawless said. He described the night’s response as one of the calls that ended positively “because of the actions of community members and rescuers.”

According to officials and the timeline presented at the event, the first 911 calls about the spectator’s collapse were received at approximately 6:36 p.m.…