Piedmont Columbus Regional has named Jesse Wheeler, Brittany Zerwick, and Justin Ottman with Columbus Fire and EMS the organization’s First Friday Hero for the month of August.

Columbus Fire and EMS received a call about a man that collapsed on the job at St. Luke School. When Wheeler, Zerwick, and Ottman arrived they determined the man went into cardiac arrest— he was pulseless, turned blue, and CPR had not been started. The crew started CPR and initiated advanced cardiac life support protocols. They were able to get the patient’s heart to begin working again just before they arrived at the hospital. The patient was sent to the ICU where a mechanical device was inserted to better help his heart pump.

A ceremony with Wheeler, Zerwick, Ottman, and hospital leadership will be held at a later date to commend them for their response. Their story is also featured throughout the hospital on commemorative posters and Piedmont Columbus Regional’s social media pages.

Piedmont Columbus Regional created the First Friday Hero program in mid-2016 to recognize first responders each month who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Their line of work is often a thankless job and we want to make the community aware of our local heroes and all they do to make Columbus a better and safer place.