Firefighter in critical condition after suffering heart attack while working a fire

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - A Paulding County firefighter is in critical but stable condition after suffering a heart attack while working to put out a tractor-trailer fire Thursday night.

Sergeant Kevin Van Dyke, 41, was resuscitated on the scene by other responding officials and was transported to Paulding Hospital. After he was stabilized, he was transferred to Kennestone.

Van Dyke was among those responding just before 9:00 p.m. to a tractor-trailer fire on Atlanta Highway in Hiram. The truck was reportedly carrying flammable liquids.

According to officials, Sergeant Van Dyke fell unconscious and stopped breathing. Fire officials did not find a pulse and began CPR. An AED was used to shock Sergeant Van Dyke's heart into an organized rhythm.

Sergeant Van Dyke is a 10-year veteran of Paulding County Fire & Rescue, assigned to Fire Station #1 located at 169 Thomas B. Murphy Drive in Dallas, Georgia.

His family has asked for prayers.