A piece of equipment added to a deputies car days ago may have saved a man's life. An Alachua County Sheriff's deputy responded to a call at the Gainesville Shrine Club Tuesday night where an elderly man was having a heart attack. The deputy is now being called a hero by his peers, but the deputy sees it as his way of paying it forward.
Deputy James Ferguson says the reward of saving a man's life is paramount, but it's the place where it happened, that makes the scenario that much better.
Ferguson was in the area when the call came in for a possible heart attack at the Gainesville Shrine Club, a place that pulled he and his family through a tragedy years ago.
Ferguson says, "when i was 8 years old there was gas explosion."
Ferguson suffered severe burns all over his body and he credits the shrine club for his recovery.
Ferguson says, "Shriner's offered my family a lot and did a lot for us when I got injured when I was younger and its nice to be able to do something nice for them as well."
When Ferguson arrived on scence, a 69-year- old man was lying on the floor fighting to breathe.
Ferguson says, "I put the pads on the gentleman's chest and the AED administered the shock at about the same time ems was arriving on scene."
Physicians say it was the AED that saved the man's life. It was an electronic device that allowed Ferguson to give back to the people he says saved his life.
The sheriff's office has 50 AED's total. Sgt Todd Kelly says the sheriff is working to get them in every patrol car.