MONROE — When a 911 call about a young woman suffering a possible cardiac arrest came in on Feb. 19, Monroe fire crews were already working downtown, finishing up duties related to a reported gas leak.

But they were able to pivot quickly to save the life of a young woman. For that, several first responders were honored for their quick action and skill by the Monroe Common Council.

The incident began on an otherwise quiet Sunday late last winter, Monroe Interim Fire Chief Al Rufer said in his presentation at the April 17 city council meeting. That is when a fire crew downtown mopping up from the gas leak call got an urgent request for a young woman experiencing cardiac arrest in a nearby residential basement.

Firefighters, along with responders from Green County EMS, teamed up to save the woman’s life, Rufer said. Those honored were: Dan Perdue, Tony Anglin, Brett Broge, Jared Van Dellen, Gene Jacobson, Eric Welty, Dan Bartelt and Brian DeVries.

“They quickly began providing CPR and other life-saving measures and were able to get a pulse back,” he said.  

Far from routine, such calls for service test the mettle of Monroe’s first responders and make a huge difference in the lives of Monroe citizens and families, officials said. The female victim of the cardiac arrest was quickly “packaged” and taken up the stairs that day and rushed to SSM Monroe Clinic.

She survived. And when that occurs, no one is happier than the emergency personnel on the scene.

“Again, they put their training to work,” said Rufer. “They responded quickly, changed from one type of job to another type. ... and we had a successful outcome,” Rufer further told the council. “Unfortunately, with cardiac (issues) that is something that doesn’t always occur very often.”

Rufer also lauded Green County EMS for their “teamwork” with the Monroe fire dept on the incident. 

“The patient was released (from the hospital) with no long-term effects,” he added.