Brunswick Hills Fire Department recognized for saving woman's life

BRUNSWICK HILLS TWP. — Brunswick Hills Township's fire prevention officer was recognized at a trustee meeting on Tuesday for his recent efforts to save the life of a choking woman. Christina Lupica said she was in urgent care that May morning, where she was diagnosed with bronchitis. She decided to stop by the Wooden Nickel Bar & Grill in Brunswick Hills to get a meal while she waited for her prescription. "I took a bite of the burger, and it kind of felt weird going down. I was like no big deal, took another bite, and I started to choke," she said. "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk and I couldn't do anything. I went up to the owner doing a sign that I can't breathe, and she said, 'Does anyone know the Heimlich?'" Brunswick Hills Interim Fire Chief Tim Haas said both stations were staffed that day, but both squads were not close to the Wooden Nickel. "But Chris (Kavulic), our new fire prevention officer, just happened to be down the street, doing an inspection," he said. "He heard the call come in, went over there to the Wooden Nickel and by that time, she's not breathing, unconscious and on the floor." In the meantime, another patron at the restaurant performed the Heimlich, and that is the last thing Lupica remembers. Another man in the restaurant also performed CPR. "Then, I guess I turned blue, and my heart completely stopped," she said. "The ambulance was 13 minutes away, and Chris (Kavulic) heard the call and decided to stop. He brought me back to life after several chest compressions." Lupica was hospitalized, and she is still dealing with minor health issues. "But I'm alive, and I'm here and I'm breathing," she said. "I just want to thank everybody for everything they did that day." The crew who worked that day were presented with Challenge Coins from the Cleveland Clinic and gifts from Lupica. Dr. Michael Ruhlin, EMS medical director for Brunswick Hills, said it is nice to get an opportunity to directly tell first responders how proud he is of them. "This is an excellent example of a whole community coming together to take care of itself," he said. "This is a testament to that and the preparation that you guys go through every day, whether it's fire training, whether it's EMS training. I'm just very proud to work with you guys." Haas said the department has another class to teach community members how to do CPR scheduled for Nov. 14. "Timing is so important with early CPR, calling 911, getting everything rolling and having bystanders that know CPR," he said. "All of that is very important, so I'm just very glad it all worked out for you." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.