Long Beach firefighters honored for saving lives

County recognizes LBFD members for treating shooting, overdose victims

Posted

Long Beach firefighter Chris Koehle, 26, recalled the sound of a loud gunshot on the night of April 10. He was riding in one of two Fire Department engines that were heading south on Long Beach Road and returning from a call on East Fulton Street.

“We heard the gunshot — it didn’t sound like fireworks — and next thing you know, the guy in the engine behind us was yelling that there was a man who had been shot,” Koehle recounted as the engine pulled up to Park Avenue near the Long Beach Cinemas.

The victim, a 22-year-old Long Beach resident, had been shot in the chest and approached the firefighters for aid.

The man was found lying in the street between the two engines, according to firefighters. He was bleeding and had sustained injuries on his left side. Firefighters quickly performed advanced life support measures and treated the victim on the scene and en route to South Nassau Communities Hospital.

“I jumped out and all the guys and I ran straight over to him,” said Koehle. “He was bleeding out through his mouth. His whole side was covered with holes, from his shoulder all the way down to his hips. He was in bad shape and we had to do stabilize him. Everyone played their part perfectly.”

Koehle said that he and other firefighters administered two IV lines and performed other life-saving interventions. Koehle was also among those who treated the victim in the ambulance. While en route, the hospital was contacted and given updates about the patient’s status and vital signs. Firefighters performed a needle decompression, a highly invasive maneuver, Koehle said. The victim survived the attack, and the suspected shooter was arrested two days later.

“When we were on the way to South Nassau, we had the IVs already going, and at that point we’re reassessing his vital signs because he was losing a lot of blood and we were continuously checking his lung sounds — he had a collapsed lung,” Koehle explained. “We did what’s called a needle decompression, which is rare. If you only do one in your career it’s kind of a big deal.”

Page 1 / 2