87-year-old survives cardiac arrest thanks to first responders

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. - Ron Johnson suffered cardiac arrest while visiting a friend in Johns Creek last month. He's alive and well thanks to the life-saving efforts of first responders. 

On Thursday, Johnson visited Fire Station 64 to thank the firefighters and medics who saved his life. 

Members of the Johns Creek Fire Department and an AMR Georgia EMS crew responded to a local residence the morning of March 11 where the 87-year-old Marietta man was experiencing chest pain. 

Firefighters Flora, Hemmings, Hull, Ridings, and Haney were first on scene. 

EMT Savannah Hunter and Paramedic Joe Terpstra loaded Johnson into the ambulance. 

"I was making conversation with the patient, and he just passed out, and then he coded," Hunter told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes. 

Johnson had gone into sudden cardiac arrest 

"Everything quit working. Heart, breathing, whole thing shut down. That's about all I remember." 

"We started CPR, and we were able to defibrillate him," Hunter said. 

Fire crews returned to the scene to assist. 

Medics revived Johnson and transported him to the hospital. 

"And when we got him to the hospital, we rolled him in, he was actually talking to us again which doesn't happen often," said Hunt. 

Johnson made a full recovery and walked out of the hospital just two days later. 

"It's very, very, very emotional for me." 

Emotional for Johnson and for those who answered the call that day. "It is a good feeling, it's a great feeling," said Firefighter Hull.