VIDEO: After a career of responding to those in need, a retired Chicago firefighter experienced a medical emergency. On Tuesday, he thanked those firefighters and paramedics who saved his life. Kevin O’Connor is no stranger to a fire station. For more than 30 years, he was a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department.
After retiring, he moved to Niles, living a quiet life, until one morning last September. “I woke up; I could hardly breathe,” O’Connor said. The 79-year-old reached out to a neighbor, who called 911.
Then, O’Connor says, he doesn’t remember anything else. He lost consciousness. Soon after, five firefighters and paramedics from Niles arrived and jumped into action, realizing O’Connor was in cardiac arrest. Darrion Roszkowiak says they initially didn’t know they were treating a fellow firefighter.
