On April 7, Centralia resident Scott Olson, 67, suffered a medical emergency.
Riverside Fire Authority personnel responded along with American Medical Response to offer medical aid, ultimately using a defibrillator 11 times before Olson's heart was stabilized.
On Wednesday, Olson visited the fire authority's North Pearl Street station to thank the crew for saving his life.
"They're great guys," Olson said. "We're thankful for their work in this community."
Darren Banks, the lead medic at the April call, spoke about how they used a defribrillator and the authority's CPR machine to save Olson's life. He estimated that survivability from heart-related emergencies has increased by about 15% since the implementation of the CPR machine on calls.
Olson and his sister, Robyn, smiled for a photo with Riverside firefighters Randy Rossow, Shay Goff, Captain Casey McCarthy, Jade Gross and Darren Banks after greetings and hugs were exchanged. Olson and his sister also brought food for the crew.
The nature of Olson's medical emergency is still unknown as he continues to work with specialists to determine the cause of the April incident. He said he lacks memory of the incident and he had no prior warning a health scare was coming.
Olson now has an implanted heart defibrillator. He said his health is now good and he's trying to remain active.
