Firefighters resuscitate fan after he suffered cardiac arrest

Mark McCullough of the Needham Fire Department and Anthony Colella of the Johnston (R.I.) Fire Department saw police running down the stairs to the G-P Atrium section underneath the lighthouse at Gillette Stadium. They followed suit and jumped into action.

“It’s one of those things where it’s not just me, it’s everybody else,” McCullough told Boston.com. “That’s what we do for a living. Even if we’re not working, we’re still out there doing what we have to do.”

Colella checked his airway to confirm he wasn’t breathing and then checked his pulse before starting CPR on the man – whom they estimate was in his 50s – which continued for about a minute.

The man, who was with his son and brother-in-law, regained consciousness and started vomiting. They thought he was choking, but he wasn’t.

He had fallen and hit the back of his head and was bleeding from his head. They got some tissues and cleaned him up the best they could and worked together to keep him awake until Emergency Medical Services arrived.

They’re unsure what happened to him afterward, but they expressed their well wishes and said he’s in their thoughts. They’re glad they were there when they were.

Said McCullough: “We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”