Edner Joseph doesn’t remember much about the day he almost died. He knows he finished his overnight shift as an EMT at Ladder 2/Medic 44 in Old City; he knows he worked out on the station’s treadmill; he knows something didn’t feel right. And then – nothing.
Colleagues said that’s when Joseph, a 31-year-old father of three, collapsed in the station kitchen on March 23. Firefighters immediately started CPR, and then shocked him with an automated external defibrillator.
“If it wasn’t for them, I know I wouldn’t be here today,” Joseph said.
Joseph and his family are sharing their story during EMS Week to express their gratitude for the care they received from the Fire Department, Jefferson University Hospital doctors, and all those who offered support during and after his 11-day hospitalization.
“Words are just not enough to thank everyone,” said his wife, Janine. “That’s how overwhelmed we are.”
Joseph has a congenital heart problem, but he said doctors can’t pinpoint why he collapsed. It happened while Medic 44 was out on a call, so several PFD members from Ladder 2 worked together to revive him – twice – while waiting for another ambulance.
“I just thank God that it happened here,” said Firefighter Michael Julius Green, who was among those responding that morning. “Had he been in the car going home …”
When Medic 1 arrived, Green jumped in the driver’s seat while Paramedic Alan Sigal and EMT Yi Cao cared for Joseph in the back. Sigal and Cao, a former classmate of Joseph, revived Joseph a third time en route to the hospital. They returned to visit him on several occasions.
“A lot of times, we don’t know what happens after dropping someone off at the hospital, so this was nice,” Sigal said. “It’s a good feeling.”
Joseph joined the PFD as an emergency medical technician (EMT) in 2014. He later began studying to become a paramedic, which would enable him to perform more advanced medical interventions on patients. He passed the required exams to become a paramedic just days before he collapsed.
Joseph hopes to return to work at the PFD – as a paramedic – in a few months. He now has an implanted defibrillator to help prevent a similar episode in the future.
“I really want to be there for people,” he said. “I want to save people’s lives – to keep families together, like mine.”
