LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A married couple who both work for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue have spent their lives saving others, but recently, one of them needed help.
Now they hope what happened them to inspire people to learn a very crucial live-saving technique.
“I don’t remember much of that day or night.”
Las Vegas Fire Captain Daniel Dennon’s memories that day are fuzzy – he can only remember bits and pieces.
“I played a hockey game that day,” Dennon tells FOX5′s Alyssa Dietsch.
Later, he started to feel some discomfort. Then, the unthinkable.
“I had some pain in my jaw and in my neck, but I thought it was from that, but apparently I was having a full-on heart attack.”
Fortunately for Daniel, his wife was home at the time.
“I heard him fall and I ran upstairs to see what happened,” says his wife, Melanie.
Melanie is a fire inspector who also works for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. Like her husband, both are trained paramedics.
“I went into auto pilot, I just started cpr, I called 911 to get first responders,” she says.
Once first responders arrived, paramedics took Daniel to the hospital. He remained there for some time.
“He was in the hospital for over three weeks, in a coma for two, while they let his heart heal, his kidneys heal,” says Melanie.
Daniel tells us, his wife saved his life.
“If it wasn’t for my wife, and her knowing CPR, I would not be with us today.”
They both encourage everyone to get CPR training, and learn how to use an AED, or defibrillator.
“So it’s really, really important for me that everybody knows they need to learn it, because the life you save is probably going to be someone you love.”
Coffee company learns of story, provides funding to Las Vegas Fire and Rescue
Melanie and Daniel’s story attracted the attention of a coffee company that provides resources for firefighter benevolent funds across the country.
Each month “Fire Department Coffee” creates gear tailored to a different fire department, and this month – it’s Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.
FOX5 caught up with the company’s vice president to learn more about how it chose our local heroes.
“Melanie’s story came across and that is so impactful, so inspiring and we wanted to be able to step in and help, not only people like her husband, but anyone who is affected like that, so we were able to work with the Las Vegas team and make one of the coolest designs so far,” says Jason Patton.
To check out the gear, or try some of the coffee, while supporting firefighters at the same time, check out Fire Department Coffee’s website.
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