City of Corona

On Saturday, February 11, 2017, a grateful Corona couple will be reunited with members of the Corona Police and Fire Department, including a dispatcher who walked the woman through vital steps to save her husband’s life during cardiac arrest.

On January 21 around 3:27 p.m., Corona dispatch received a 9-1-1 call for a 64-year-old male, Jeffrey Evans, who collapsed in his home due to cardiac arrest. Prior to Corona Police and Fire units arriving on scene, the Emergency Medical Dispatch was put into motion.

Dispatcher Elise Rodriguez, was able to determine from the caller, Jeffrey’s wife Carolyn Evans, that the patient was not breathing and had no pulse. She was able to calmly and assertively coach Carolyn through two full rounds of CPR using Corona PD’s new Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) program.

Corona PD and Fire arrived at the scene within four minutes of being dispatched. Upon arrival, fire paramedics delivered advance life support treatments and while on scene, the patient regained spontaneous breathing and a pulse. The officers on scene did a fantastic job keeping Carolyn calm during the entire situation. The Emergency Medical Dispatch helped provide early CPR which gave this victim of cardiac arrest a greater chance of survival.

Corona has been providing pre-arrival instruction for emergencies to the citizens of Corona since 1987. In September of 2016, the Corona Communications Dispatchers began an intensive training with Priority Dispatch to provide the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch’s (IAED) standardized protocols. This system guides dispatchers to provide key patient information to the responders en route, and most importantly provide lifesaving support to the callers.

Since the incident, Jeffrey has made a full recovery and has expressed his desire to thank everyone involved in saving his life. On Saturday, February 11, 2017, there will be a reunion with Jeffrey, Carolyn, Elise, and members of Corona Police and Fire Departments. The reunion will take place at 3 p.m. at the Corona Police Department, 730 Public Safety Way.