Heart Attack Survivor Thanks Officers Who Saved His Life

Glendora Police officers have saved 26 lives since they began carrying Automatic External Defibrillators in their vehicles in 1997.

Fifteen years later on Aug. 17, two Glendora officers responded to a woman’s frantic call. Glendora resident Ida Fracasse found her husband, Joe, sitting in his chair unconscious and without a pulse.

When officers Sergeant Matt Egan and Alex Stein arrived, they moved Joe to the floor and applied the AED pads to his chest.

They began the rescue breathing, and after three cycles, they felt a light pulse. When L.A. County Firefighters arrived, Joe was transported to the hospital. Despite suffering a heart attack that day, Joe Fracasse quickly recovered and was released from the hospital within a week.

Shortly after, the Fracasses visited officers at the police station, bringing with them baked goods and a lot of gratitude for the officers who saved Joe’s life.

Glendora Police began carrying AEDs when Lt. Rob Lamborghini (then a newly appointed sergeant) wrote a proposal for first responders to carry AEDs in officer vehicles. Now, each patrol vehicle is equipped with an AED device and a bag mask resuscitator. Every officer goes through AED training every two years, according to Glendora Police.