Like most first responders, Tony Guajardo became a firefighter and paramedic to help people.
"Especially back at the station that I work at, I grew up in that neighborhood. It was a life goal of mine since I was 5 years old to work at that station," Guajardo said.
A man showed up to Station 36 complaining of chest pain, but there is not an ambulance at Station 36 so they called their neighbors at Station 26 to respond.
"When I got to the station, just walking up to the patient, I could see how he was presenting and could tell that it was serious call. He was sweating, grabbing his left arm, left arm pain and had chest pain," Tony said.
The veteran paramedic jumped into action, knowing that time is of the essence.
"With something as serious like that, time is everything," Tony said. "I connected the 12 lead which is an EKG, I could see that this guy was possibly having a heart attack."
Tony began medical intervention and alerted Parkland Hospital to prepare for a patient who was possibly suffering a heart attack.
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"We got him there in, what they say is the 'golden hour.' We got him from the station to the hospital and got a stent in him in 25 minutes," Tony said.
Because of their quick thinking and expert medical care, Tony and the crews at Stations 26 and 36 were recognized by Dallas Fire Chief Dominique Artis and members of his Command Staff. The Chief recognized that the professionalism, teamwork, and quick execution of medical intervention of the crews contributed to the survival of this patient.
Tony said it's all in a day's work.
"We have so many paramedics that are great paramedics in Dallas Fire and so every single day I would say someone's life is being saved, if not multiple people, so for this call, yes, it is awesome that I was able to take care of the patient and now he's home," Tony said. "But our medics do this every single day so its nice to be recognized but it's what we do. It's our job."
For Tony, working as a firefighter and paramedic in his old neighborhood is more than just a job.
"To be living the dream now is awesome. It's great working with my community, with my people and being able to be a positive influence in the community," he said.
We're proud to call Tony Guajardo and the crews at Stations 26 and 36, this week's KRLD Difference Makers.
If you know someone making a difference in the community, email Susy at susy.solis@entercom.com.