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Arvada Firefighter Shovels Sidewalk For Woman Suffering From Heart Condition

ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - Heather Driscoll, of Arvada, is thankful to be alive after she had a medical emergency during Tuesday's snow storm. She's grateful for the Arvada firefighters who not only helped save her, but also went the extra mile by shoveling the long sidewalk to her house.

firefighter shoveling
(credit: CBS)

Driscoll said she's dealt with a heart condition called SVT for her entire adult life. She said it's normally not a big problem, but while she was shoveling her sidewalk after Tuesday's snow storm, she realized something was seriously wrong.

"My heart was about 230 beats per minute," Driscoll recalled. "I came inside and realized my heart was not going to slow down. "

Arvada Fire showed up, getting her the help she needed to get her heart beat back to a normal pace.

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Heather Driscoll spoke with CBS4 reporter Kati Weis about her close call on Tuesday. (credit: CBS4)

"As soon as I felt my heart go back to a normal rhythm, I just said, good job guys, that was great," Driscoll said.

Not only did the paramedics save her life, firefighter Ryan Weir also took the time to shovel her long sidewalk from the street to her front door.

"You could tell that she had started shoveling, and didn't finish, so put two and two together," Weir explained. "I was just doing my job and hoping for the best possible outcome."

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Arvada Firefighter Ryan Weir said he was just doing his job when he stepped up to shovel a woman's sidewalk while his fellow firefighters were giving her medical aid. (credit: CBS)

Weir also insisted he's not a hero.

"I'm sure during that snow storm there were firefighters all over the metro doing great things and I just happened to be the one that got taken a picture of," Weir said.

As Driscoll sat in her home Thursday, it brought her to tears thinking about the great work her local firefighters put in that day.

"The bottom line is, integrity is what you do when people aren't looking and that's something that means a lot," she said. "Should you need somebody to come help you, these guys are really rock stars."

 

 

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