VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — When the Virginia Beach Oceanfront is packed with summer tourists, things can change in a flash.
"It was surreal for me because everyone stood up and started going towards the gunfire," recalls Kyle Hanrahan, an Acting Captain with Virginia Beach EMS.
Hanrahan tells News 3 Anchor Blaine Stewart about the night last summer when he and a team from Virginia Beach EMS were able to save the life of a shooting victim less than a minute after the gunfire started. He says the response time was phenomenal.
"We're able to bring EMS care closer to an incident, right after it starts, rather than normally having to wait, Hanrahan adds."
They were able to get the scene so quickly, because this was the team's first night of a new partnership with officers in the Virginia Beach Police Department that embeds medics with officers at the resort strip.
"Being able to be right there with them is what saved his life."
Within seconds, Hanrahan, Acting Captain Matthew Army, and Paramedics Victoria Preu and Tyler Retel were on scene. They kept the shooting victim alive until they could get to the hospital.
"Having us embedded within the police department, we're able to get to that scene quicker than an ambulance could," Retel says. "We saved a life. How do you put a price on that?"
For their work, News 3 surprised the group with an Everyday Hero award. The team was also awarded a $300 Visa gift card from Southern Bank, WTKR's community partner.
