Three people are alive this Thanksgiving, thanks to the efforts of people trained by Palm Beach Fire-Rescue with an assist by a local organization.
Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Chief Sean Baker highlighted the trio of incidents while speaking at the annual fall breakfast and safety forum for Safeguard Palm Beach, a division of the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation.
Speaking to a room of Safeguard members, Palm Beach Police and Palm Beach Fire-Rescue officials at the Four Seasons Resort on South Ocean Boulevard, Baker said that Safeguard’s training in partnership with the town helps create “first responders for the first responders.”
“It’s wildly successful,” Baker said of the training efforts. “What it’s doing is extending the fire family.”
There have been at least three “documented life-saves” attributed to people who went through training provided through Safeguard initiatives and responded to incidents in which people were choking, he said at the Nov. 14 event.
Together, the three incidents help to paint a picture of a Palm Beach that is better prepared for emergencies, thanks to training initiatives such as Safeguard’s Citizen’s Academy, Baker said.
“We are a world-class agency, and we’re just happy to be a part of this community,” he said.
What happened?
Palm Beach Fire-Rescue EMS Chief Brian Matzen provided the Palm Beach Daily News with a few details about each of the three life-saving incidents.
The three calls were successful thanks to a combination of community outreach, emergency medical services education and work by the department’s outreach team, he said.
“These are just the events we know of, many go unnoticed as our employees don’t seek recognition,” Matzen said. “We have an excellent team who operates with professionalism and compassion every day.”
Nov. 24, 2024: Palm Beach Fire-Rescue received a call that someone at Palm Beach Country Club on North County Road was choking. A person next to the pool had choked on a piece of food, they were told. A Palm Beach Country Club employee who recently attended Palm Beach Fire-Rescue training performed the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the obstruction and the person began to breathe again. Crews then took the person to a hospital to be evaluated. “The quick actions by the Palm Beach Country Club employee, undoubtedly aided in this positive outcome, which could have been drastically different,” Matzen said.
Feb. 3, 2025: Palm Beach Fire-Rescue crews were called to a home where a person also had choked on a bite of food. Someone who had recently gone through a fire-rescue training program performed the Heimlich maneuver, but the food would not come out. The person who had gone through training began to perform CPR, and while doing chest compressions, the food was dislodged. “The patient then began to spontaneously breathe and was alert and oriented when our crew arrived on scene,” Matzen said. “The patient was evaluated and transported to the hospital as a precaution.”
April 14, 2025: Three Palm Beach Fire-Rescue crews responded to a call about a choking. People nearby performed the Heimlich maneuver but could not get the obstruction out of the person’s throat. Fire-rescue crews were able to use forceps and suction to remove the blockage, and the person slowly started to breathe again, then was taken to a hospital. The person who performed the Heimlich maneuver had attended a recent Palm Beach Fire-Rescue training program. “By their quick action, they were able to dislodge the food enough to make it easy for our responders to quickly retrieve the obstruction and render life-saving care,” Matzen said.
What is involved in Safeguard training?
Palm Beach Fire-Rescue offers several training programs, such as how to perform CPR, what to do when someone chokes and how to use an automated external defibrillator, or AED, said Lt. Kristen Ruest, the department’s community education coordinator. The town works with several organizations, including the Palm Beach Civic Association and Safeguard — once known as Palm Beach Crime Watch — to offer the trainings, she said.
“The way I look at it with all these organizations is, we’re better together,” she said.
The department also offers safety training for condominiums, restaurants and private clubs, all of which include CPR and choking training as well as how to respond to fire alarms and use a fire extinguisher, Ruest said.
“One of the biggest things I stress is: Do something,” she said. “If that means calling 911 because that’s the only thing you can safely do or manage, then you’ve done something.”
It’s also important to know where safety equipment such as AEDs and fire extinguishers are located, she said.
“Our team of educators do an amazing job,” Ruest said. “They’re very engaging. They take material that can be very daunting for people, because it’s serious. You’re talking about things like death and dying and emergency situations, and we really try and break down the obstacles of doing something.”
The training helps to empower people to feel prepared when an emergency happens, she said.
“I feel like most people when we do the classes come away feeling less daunted and that they’re more capable than they originally thought,” Ruest said.
For more information, visit SafeguardPalmBeach.com or go to TownOfPalmBeach.com and click on “Emergency Services,” then go to the Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Department page.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Fire-Rescue training saved 3 lives in past year, Palm Beach chief says
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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