Firefighters save 67-year-old man before Christmas

PHOENIX - A man in Phoenix received one of the best Christmas gifts of all; his life saved.

When the man shopping with his wife had a heart attack inside a Safeway grocery store, Phoenix firefighters were there to bring him back from the edge of death.

Firefighter paramedics from Phoenix station 42 got the emergency call just after 11:30 Monday morning. When they arrived at the Safeway, they found a 67-year-old man in rough shape with two nurses doing a form of CPR on him. The man's wife was hysterical.

Firefighter paramedics Robert Romero and Chad Baker grabbed their gear and jumped into action. The two hooked the man up to a heart monitor, and after reading his vital signs, decided to use a defibrillator to shock the man's heart. Baker and Romero kept the shocks coming until the man’s heart started beating normally again.

The 67-year-old was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Officials believe this man likely would have died the day before Christmas if not for Romero and Baker.

"It's a great feeling to be a part of something like that, being a part of a team that can render aid to a person that's at the most desperate time of their life," Baker said.

The pair said they’re not heroes; they just save people for a living; hundreds every year. They said it is rewarding to rescue someone’s life just hours before Christmas.

"It does make it more personal when you get back to your house the next morning on Christmas and see your family, and know and hope that this guy will get to do the same thing," Romero said.