Riverside Fire Authority’s Facebook post featuring George Leal on Saturday after he rushed to perform CPR to a stranger on a Centralia sidewalk got more than 2,000 “likes.”
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A Centralia man who received CPR training at his workplace put his knowledge into action this weekend when he helped revive a stranger he came across who had stopped breathing.
Twenty-eight-year-old George Leal was walking along the 800 block of Alder Street in Centralia when he heard a woman screaming for help on Saturday evening. The woman had just placed her father in a vehicle to take him to an appointment at a clinic when he collapsed, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
Leal rushed over, found the man’s skin was turning blue and helped pull him out of the vehicle and onto the sidewalk, where he began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, according to the fire department.
When a paramedic unit arrived, Leal was still performing CPR. The victim began breathing and was able to verbally communicate with paramedics, the fire department reported.
The patient was transported to the emergency room and was in serious but stable condition, when RFA posted praise that night for Leal on their Facebook page.
“Thank you, George for your willingness to respond and make a difference,” they wrote.
Leal works at National Frozen Food, where he had been trained in CPR.
The willing and ableness of a citizen to save a life in Centralia followed by less than two weeks a recognition ceremony at the fire department of a 12-year-old girl who saved her baby sister from choking.
Alma Navarette holds her little sister and stands with the Medic 20-1 crew who responded, at a ceremony honoring the 12-year-old’s actions.
It was the evening of Nov. 17 when firefighter-paramedics were called to the 1200 block of West Main Street, on a report a 6-month-old infant was choking on a piece of paper.
Alma Navarette performed back blows on her sister which freed the obstruction, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
“The infant vomited, began to recover and her skin color resumed to normal,” Riverside wrote on the commendation they presented to Alma on Dec. 7 at the fire station.
The department noted how critical the intervention by bystanders can be.
“According to the American Heart Association, choking is the No. 1 cause of unintentional death in infants,” the commendation further read. “When oxygen levels are significantly low for four minutes or longer, brain cells begin to die and after five minutes permanent brain injury can occur to a victim.”
Even with an immediate 911 call and an expedient response from emergency medical responders, the risk is great, they wrote.
The department praised Alma for her quick thinking and proper intervention.
“We further recognize that through her actions, she most certainly saved her sister from serious medical complications and quite possibly, saved her life,” the fire department wrote.
December has been a busy month for recognition of those who help others in emergency situations.
On Dec. 2, the Onalaska American Legion held a dinner and ceremony where they presented a certificate of appreciation to all of Lewis County’s first responders for their dedication and hard work during this summer’s drought and wildland fire season.
The certificate was accepted by Andrew Martin, chief of Lewis County Fire District 1 on behalf of all of the fire districts.
Hundreds of firefighters spent countless hours, particularly in August, battling brush fires around the county, three of which rolled through more than 100 acres.
Onalaska Fire Chief Andrew Martin accepts a certificate of appreciation on behalf all of Lewis County’s first responders from the Onalaska American Legion.
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