Korean firefighter saves emergency patient on plane to Nepal

An off-duty Korean firefighter on a plane bound for Kathmandu, Nepal, rescued an emergency patient who was suffering from acute chest pain and had difficulty breathing.

Jeongseon Fire Station in Gangwon Province said Friday that the story of the exemplary officer was spreading and earning praise.

Firefighter Jeong Won-yong, 35, was heading to Nepal for a holiday on May 11, when he heard an in-flight announcement searching for a person with a medical background who could help an emergency patient. Jeong volunteered himself, as he is a certified first-class emergency medical technician. 

Firefighter Jeong Won-yong (Yonhap)

The patient was a women of Indian nationality who had diabetes. Jeong checked her oxygen saturation level, blood pressure and blood sugar level, with devices he had been personally carrying and those from the plane’s emergency kit.

Determining the woman needed oxygen, Jeong asked for an oxygenator and an automated external defibrillator in case her heart failed. He also contacted an air medical center for a doctor’s prescription and administered medication.

The patient recovered in an hour. Jeong reportedly stayed by her side until the plane landed in Kathmandu.

Looking back on the incident, Jeong told the media that “it is a firefighter’s duty to gladly offer his help wherever and whenever there is an emergency patient.”

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

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