Fire chief explains Longboat's high cardiac rescue success rates

Longboat Key Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi opened his update to community members with one impressive statistic. First responders on the Key had a 67% success rate in reviving patients from cardiac arrest last year. Nationally, only 10% of the 350,000 people who experience a non-traumatic, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive, according to the American Red Cross.

Dezzi attributed their success to two main factors. One is the quick EMS response times made possible through a highly trained team and cross-department collaboration. The other is residents' ability to step in and help until first responders arrive.

He spoke from experience, describing to the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key attendees of the April 30 meeting how he aided a neighbor who fell out of a tree and went into cardiac arrest Thanksgiving morning in 2023.

"All the neighbors were there, but no one was doing anything yet," he said.

Dezzi grabbed the defibillator from his department vehicle and, with assistance from his son, Ryan, got a pulse.

For those efforts, he and his son received a prestigious Phoenix Award. All four of his sons attended fire training academy, and three have gone on to start careers as firefighters/paramedics.

The American Red Cross shows that successful revival is a race against the clock, and the sooner someone intervenes, the better the patient's chances. Survival rates decrease by 10% with every minute that passes without immediate CPR and AED use.

Dezzi shared his story in hopes of inspiring others to get educated on the latest in first aid care, especially how to recognize the symptoms of cardiac distress.

Photo by Carlin Gillen

The fire chief also answered questions from attendees of the morning Kiwanis meeting at the Lazy Lobster. Their interest was primarily in being prepared for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season.

He reviewed how his department collaborates with others in the area to deal with storm preparation, management and recovery efforts.

One key step residents and business owners should be taking now is securing any needed decals for re-entering the island after a disaster. The town of Longboat Key utilizes a tiered process for letting citizens return without overwhelming systems as they come back online.

Dezzi noted the department maintains a database for residents who may need physical assistance evacuating. He encourages family members of anyone who may need to be added to the list to contact the fire department. Station headquarters are located at 5490 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

More details on the re-entry process and other hurricane prep are available at LongboatKey.org under the "Hurricane Information" tab. The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce is also hosting a preparation seminar on May 14. Visit LongboatKeyChamber.com.