Letter: Thank you Crystal Lake EMTs, paramedics

It was around 5:30 p.m. on a Thursday. We had a blizzard going on in Crystal Lake. Six inches of new snow fell, and the streets were covered. I was hit by a lethal virus that knocked me down. I couldn’t breath. My wife called 911, and the paramedics arrived in minutes. The lead EMT was in the house first and made a rapid assessment of me and the situation.

In seconds, three EMTs had me on a gurney and out the door into the blizzard. I saw no fewer than four or five EMTs or firemen rapidly shoveling the snow off my front walk and driveway to make way for me to get to the ambulance.

Once in the ambulance, two men checked my blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen level. They taped me from head to toe with EKG wires, alternating an oxygen mask with a nebulizer. Another EMT was on the phone with the hospital as we sped down the streets with lights and sirens.

They saved my life. These young men and women of the Crystal Lake Fire Department Rescue Squad are highly trained, professional and dedicated. Thank you so much.

John Heisler

Crystal Lake