Village honors firefighter-paramedic Alex Kiefer for lifesaving CPR at Door County Triathlon

The Village of Mount Pleasant on July 28 recognized firefighter-paramedic Alex Kiefer for stopping a race and providing chest compressions that helped restore a participant's heartbeat after a cardiac arrest during the Door County Triathlon on July 12, 2025.

Village officials said Kiefer began CPR after witnessing the participant crash during the bike portion of the event and continued until law enforcement arrived with an automated external defibrillator. According to race organizers and Kiefer's battalion chief, Kiefer and another paramedic performed chest compressions for approximately six minutes; organizers said the patient was transported to a hospital and later released.

The acknowledgement underscores the importance of early CPR and timely defibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. The American Heart Association estimates that fewer than 10 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital survive to hospital discharge; village remarks said the triathlon outcome was therefore notable.

Village officials presented Kiefer with a Distinguished Service to the Community award on behalf of the South Shore Fire Department and the village. Village speakers praised Kiefer's decision to stop racing and render aid. "Those minutes had to seem like hours to you," one trustee said during the presentation, praising the training and dedication of first responders. A family member attending the meeting said, "Your daddy is a hero," in brief remarks from the audience.

The village did not describe any follow-up actions beyond the award. No medical details about the patient beyond the release from the hospital were provided at the meeting, and officials said they would not discuss private health information.

The presentation and public praise occurred at the start of the July 28 regular meeting; trustees, the village president and village staff participated in the recognition.