Chicago O’Hare Airport Customs and Border Protection Officers Save Life of Arriving Passenger

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Chicago - The International Terminal atChicago O’Hare Airport is a microcosm of constantly moving people andtechnology. There is a certain rhythm to the ebb and flow of air passengersarriving from foreign countries and departing to their final destinations. U.S.Customs and Border Protection officers at O’Hare know the movement ofinternational travelers and when one passenger breaks that rhythm they areprepared and trained to know exactly what to do. On September 23, CBP officerssaved the life of an arriving international passenger who collapsed at O’HareAirport.
The passenger, a 68-year-old malePolish-national, had arrived onboard LOT Polish Airlines flight 001 fromWarsaw, Poland at approximately 3:40 p.m. He was processed by CBP; however,collapsed into an unconscious and unresponsive condition within the federalinspections area. Immediately, City of Chicago paramedics were notified whileCBP officers retrieved a nearby Automated External Defibrillation unit. CBPofficers, trained in the use of the AED and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitationbegan to administer lifesaving procedures and the passenger began to breathe onhis own. CBP officers continued to monitor the passenger until the paramedicsarrived and transported the subject to the hospital with good vital signs.
“CBP officers working in internationalairport operations come in contact with thousands of passengers every day andare specially trained and certified to provide aid to travelers who are inserious trouble,” said Steven Artino, CBP Chicago Acting Director of FieldOperations. “Without hesitation, our officers reacted and saved this man’slife. CBP officers at O’Hare respond with AED units and save lives every year.Since March, this is the second time at O’Hare Airport that CBP officers haveresponded and saved the life of an international passenger.”
The name of the program which positionsAED units in the airport one minute apart is the Heart Saver Program. Thisprogram was the first of its kind in the country to be implemented by the Cityof Chicago Department of Aviation at O’Hare Airport more than 20 years ago.Classes are offered by the City of Chicago every month at both O’Hare andMidway Airports. As a result, more than one third of all Port of Chicago CBPofficers are trained and certified in AED, CPR, and First Aid.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection isthe unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security chargedwith the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at andbetween official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terroristweapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.