A judge at a music festival collapsed and went into sudden cardiac death at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) stage last Friday in front of a middle school orchestra visiting from Rockville, Md. Thanks to a perfectly oiled “chain of survival,” however, the man was brought back from the brink of death.

Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord said everyone involved did exactly what was necessary each step of the way and that’s why the man, whose identity was not released, survived. “We do a lot of saves here, but the chain of survival in this instance worked perfectly,” said Nord.

According to witnesses, the Massachusetts man was a judge for a music festival held at the PAC. While giving feedback to a middle school orchestra that had traveled from Rockville, Md. to play at the festival, the man collapsed in full cardiac arrest. Two chaperones, believed to be parents of the visiting school children, identified themselves as doctors and immediately began performing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Simultaneously, Duxbury music teacher Jim Donovan called 911 and Tony Kelso, the manager of the PAC, raced to the Alden School nurse’s office to retrieve an automated external defibrillator (AED). Fortunately, neither hesitated to act.

“I ran to get the defibrillator,” said Kelso, who was the only one there with keys to the nurse’s office. “We’re already talking about getting one for right outside the PAC… I knew at some point we would need one. It’s been there about a year.”

Kelso said Alden School Nurse Cathy Carney deserves some of the credit for saving the man’s life because she advocated for getting the AED into the school. He said there are three at the high school.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most people who experience sudden cardiac arrest die within minutes. AED intervention is often necessary to jolt the heart back into beating normally.

In this instance, immediate CPR followed by the defibrillator and the quick response by Duxbury Fire Department (DFD) paramedics resulted in the man beating the odds.

“The doctors defibbed him one time and got him back into a medical rhythm,” said Nord. “Our guys, John Ahern and Ean Connell, took it from there. They intubated him, placed IVs in him, gave him (the appropriate medication) and took him to South Shore Hospital. Later on that night, they extubated him and he was talking. Thanks to everyone involved, he’s going to lead a normal, productive life.” Ahern is only two weeks out of the state fire academy and Connell is an 11-year veteran of the DFD.

Nord said that this experience is a perfect example of why people should learn CPR and AEDs should be accessible in public areas. Everyone has a role to play in saving a life.

“I want to remind people to get CPR training,” said Nord. “With the amount of water we have in Duxbury, between pools and the beach, it’s critical.”