Valley park ranger honored for saving hiker’s life
Jul 9, 2014, 5:13 PM | Updated: 5:13 pm
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One week ago, just as many of us we’re starting our day at work, Scottsdale Park Ranger Kathy Mascaro was ending hers.
“I was pretty much at the end of my shift,” she said.
That’s when she came upon a hiker on the Pinnacle Peak Trailhead.
“The guy was totally passed out…his lips were blue.”
Mascaro thought he was gone. Instead of calling for a coroner, Mascaro turned the 50-year old man over and began continuous chest compressions to a popular BeeGee’s song.
“‘Staying Alive’… that’s what was going through my head.”
She took the compression-only class two years earlier.
“But, it’s not that hard to remember, because there’s no counting anymore, no breaths to give, it’s just straight chest compressions.”
Hands-only CPR is becoming a trend, said Scottsdale Fire Chief John Whitney.
“The science is showing that the survivability of cardiac arrest patients is dramatically enhanced by rapid intervention,” he said.
The hiker survived, thanks to Mascaro’s rapid intervention. Colleagues at the Scottsdale Fire Department presented her with a special silver coin and a certificate of honor for her life-saving actions.
