A volunteer firefighter with Rabun County Fire Services is recovering after suffering a medical emergency while on duty Friday.
Gordon Van Mol, part of the county's volunteer force, was among those who responded to a brush fire around 7:30 p.m. on Burns Lane in Lakemont, according to Assistant Fire Chief Justin Upchurch. While on the scene, Van Mol went into cardiac arrest and collapsed; he was found pulseless and not breathing.
Other firefighters on site with Van Mol immediately began CPR and an AED was brought from the equipment. Upchurch said fellow firefighters used the AED to deliver three shocks to Van Mol, and his circulation returned after the third shock.
Van Mol was still unconscious but had a pulse and was breathing on his own when EMS arrived on scene. He was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville where he was placed on a ventilator and taken to the cath lab.
According to Upchurch, Van Mol regained consciousness Sunday and had surgery to implant a defibrillator on Monday.
Upchurch said Van Mol likely has a lengthy recovery ahead of him.
