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. Clinton County 911 dispatchers on the call included Mark Ryan, Misha E. Bernal and Brandon Dukou; Eric Day, director of the Clinton County Office of Emergency Services, assisted at the scene and relayed updates to dispatch.

Bystanders who identified themselves as medically trained — including a critical care EMT, registered nurses and hospital physicians who happened to be in the stands — began CPR and ventilations immediately. Chris Hartman, athletic coordinator for the Plattsburgh City School District, led retrieval of the AED from a concession stand. Officials said the on-site AED delivered two shocks, and later, after advanced equipment and paramedics arrived and additional shocks and medications were administered in the bleachers, crews observed a faint pulse.

Assistant Chief Chris D'Angelo described the on-scene care: the patient was given bag-valve-mask ventilations, intubated, started on an intravenous line and an intraosseous line, and received several medications in addition to defibrillation. Plattsburgh Fire Department EMS unit 286 — with firefighter-paramedic Melinda Feuster and firefighter-EMT Luke Walker — and engine 2A4 — with Lieutenant Craig King and firefighter-paramedic Ryan Spada — arrived about six minutes after the first call, at about 6:42 p.m., officials said. Other nearby volunteer and district crews provided hands-on assistance.

The patient, introduced at the ceremony as Rick St. Clair, spoke at the event and credited the actions of bystanders and responders. “CPR is what saved my life,” St. Clair said. He described regaining consciousness in the hospital and a lengthy recovery that included therapy and weight loss. St. Clair thanked the medical staff, the bystanders and the fire crews who treated him and rode with him to the hospital.

Marissa Ducat, a critical care EMT and registered nurse at CVPH who accompanied the patient on transport, continued advanced life support in the ambulance, officials said. When the patient arrived at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), crews handed him over to emergency department staff who provided continued care over the following days and weeks; officials at the ceremony said St. Clair was discharged “the day before Thanksgiving.”

Speakers at the event urged broader CPR training and AED availability. Storm Trainer, Clinton County EMS director and an emergency-room registered nurse, said early bystander CPR, immediate 911 activation and AED use “changes the outcome for multiple patients” and urged residents to take training. Mayor Wendell K. Hughes read a proclamation recognizing the event and declaring the week in honor of the bystanders and emergency responders involved.

Officials publicly acknowledged several people by name for their roles that night: the 911 dispatchers (Mark Ryan, Misha E. Bernal and Brandon Dukou); bystanders and clinicians who began CPR (including Nick Walker, critical care EMT; Kim LaBarre, registered nurse at CVPH; Dr. George Cielak, physician at CVPH); Plattsburgh City School District athletic coordinator Chris Hartman for retrieving the AED; Plattsburgh Fire Department personnel on scene; and volunteer firefighters who assisted with equipment and transport.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, officials reiterated recommendations: call 911 and follow dispatcher instructions if you encounter someone in cardiac arrest, take a certified CPR course if possible, and place AEDs in public gathering spots such as athletic fields.

The city presented a proclamation signed by Mayor Wendell K. Hughes honoring the rescuers and encouraging public preparedness; recipients at the event included representatives of the Clinton County Office of Emergency Services and members of the Plattsburgh Fire Department.