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(ABC 6 News) – A team of rural paramedics, along with an Olmsted County sheriff’s deputy and two Mayo Clinic paramedics, will be honored Monday, Aug. 12, for their life-saving efforts a few months ago.
June 21 was a Friday like any other for Jesse Kosnopfal, a resident of the city of Dover.
“I wanted to sit in my recliner like I always do,” said Kosnopfal. “And my wife happened to be sitting on the couch opposite me.”
Then, out of the blue, he suffered a heart attack.
“The next thing my wife told me was that I was running like a robot in slow motion and fell over.”
Kosnopfal’s wife, a Mayo Clinic employee, immediately called 911 and began CPR.
Surveillance footage from the home showed that an Olmsted County officer was the first to arrive on the scene, followed by Mayo University paramedics and then an Eyota University ambulance.
The whole ordeal lasted about 30 minutes.
However, the result could have been completely different.
Without the quick intervention of Kosnopfal’s wife and the proximity of services like Eyota Ambulance, he might not be here today.
“If she hadn’t been home,” he said, “there would be no one there but me and my dogs.”
Dover has a population of just under 800 and is one of many towns and communities served by the voluntary rescue service Eyota.
“(We do) everything from patient care to creating that one-on-one picture with people,” said Madi Greenwaldt, one of Eyota Ambulance’s paramedics.
She was also one of the first responders who saved Kosnopfal’s life.
She says helping people like him is one of the most fulfilling aspects of her job.
“Knowing that the outcome might have been different if we hadn’t been there is really satisfying,” she said.
However, this is not easy. Ambulances in rural areas like Eyota often struggle with tight budgets and insufficient staff.
But that doesn’t stop the volunteers at Eyota Ambulance from doing their work.
“When we come here from Mayo, you have to wait 25 to 30 minutes for an ambulance,” Greenwaldt said. “Having us as the first stop is beneficial because we save that time.”
And Kosnopfal is more than grateful.
“These small towns need this,” he said. “I’m glad there are volunteers willing to give their time to do this.”
