Niagara-on-the-Lake calling a town employee a hero for saving the life of a man.
It was Friday night at around 10pm when a 57 year old man suffered a heart attack while playing in a men’s soccer game at Memorial Park.
Town employee, Stavros Lalos, was prepping Memorial Pool for a swim meet taking place the following day when he was made aware of the situation on the soccer field.
He grabbed the AED and First Aid Kit from the pool office, and ran onto the soccer field.
The man was not breathing and did not have a pulse when Lalos arrived.
Lalos was quick to take charge of the situation and began performing CPR followed by the use of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), and continued with chest compressions and rescue breathing until EMS arrived.
The man was then taken to the hospital for further care and is now recovering.
Bystanders say that Lalos' quick thinking and use of the AED saved the man’s life.
“On behalf of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, I would personally like to thank Stavros for his selfless and responsible actions, which resulted in a life being saved,” stated CAO Holly Dowd. “I am very proud to say that Stavros is a Town employee.”
“I would like to thank staff for their dedication to our training programs, which prepare them for these types of circumstances,” stated Kevin Turcotte, Manager of Parks & Recreation. “It was also a benefit that an AED was onsite to assist with this rescue. These machines are located at all Town facilities.”