BROOKFIELD Cop uses device to revive resident

The patient remains in serious condition in St. Elizabeth Health Center.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
BROOKFIELD -- Township Patrol Officer Jay First has had a good feeling since Tuesday, when he saved a man's life.
"It was nice. It's nice to help somebody. It does make you feel good," First said Thursday.
Tuesday was the first day he used a portable defibrillator that township police carry in their cruisers to restart a heart. They've had them since 1997.
As a result, Robert Kolat, 77, is alive, listed in serious condition in St. Elizabeth Health Center.
First said he had just come on duty about 10 p.m. when he received a call that Kolat was unconscious in his Warner Road home.
Police respond to all calls to the fire department, which operates the ambulance service.
Usually, First explained, township police do not get involved in medical treatment because the emergency medical technicians are the first to respond.
Performing CPR: First, 27, said that when he arrived at the ranch-style home, Kolat was on the living room floor and family members were giving him CPR. He had no pulse.
The patrolman, who has been on the force since March 1997, told of how he retrieved the defibrillator from the cruiser and connected the paddles to Kolat.
"Time is very valuable at these times," the officer said.
Following the electronic voice instructions of the machine, First gave Kolat a shock. The family kept up with the CPR "because it kept them calm, too."
Following the machine's instruction, he again shocked Kolat's heart. When EMTs arrived, Kolat had a heartbeat and blood pressure, First said.
Lt. James Baker said he believes it's the first time a township officer has administered a shock from the device.
Donated in 1997: Three defibrillators were donated to the police department from Sharon Regional Health Systems in June 1997 through a grant to the hospital. Brookfield was the second police department in the state to receive them, with Cincinnati being the first.
One is in a cruiser during all shifts, Baker explained.
yovich@vindy.com