‘Early CPR saves lives’: Co-workers, police officer honored for saving life of unresponsive man in Marengo

‘Early CPR saves lives’: Co-workers, police officer honored for saving life of unresponsive man in Marengo
Co-workers and a police officer were honored for successfully reviving, with the help of paramedics, a man who went into sudden cardiac arrest in Marengo last month.

The Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts said the incident happened while Michael Kosirog was at work on the morning of August 9.

Kosirog had a medical emergency that caused him to go into cardiac arrest.

The Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts arrived within three minutes of receiving the 911 call.

They found Kosirog unresponsive and his co-workers, Steve Greene and Michael Harhen, were performing CPR.

Marengo Police Department Sgt. Andrew Kjellgren had also arrived shortly before paramedics and began administering CPR.

Fire department crews defibrillated Kosirog within minutes of arriving and were able to regain a pulse.

Paramedics were on the scene for less than 10 minutes before they rushed Kosirog to the hospital.

Kosirog regained consciousness while on the way to the hospital and has since made a full recovery.

“The early recognition and high-quality CPR provided by all parties involved saved Michael’s life,” the fire district said.

Kosirog’s two co-workers along with Kjellgren were given lifesaving awards on Wednesday.

The award is given for rendering lifesaving aid to others in time of need, the fire district said.

Officials said Kosirog allowed the fire district to share his story to help inform the public that early CPR saves lives.

“Every minute without CPR decreases the chances of survival by about 10%. With education and more CPR trained citizens, we can save lives like Michael,” the fire district added.