CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Three Chicago city workers have been given a new title: hero.
Last week, while finishing up their routes for the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, Joseph Brewer, Charnea Rodgers, and Terry Williams encountered a man that had collapsed on the ground, stopped breathing, and was unresponsive.
According to the Mayor's Office, Brewer, a 19-year DSS employee, responded by delivering chest compressions, while his coworkers called for help. Brewer restored the man’s breathing until Chicago Fire Department paramedics arrived minutes later.
“I’d never given CPR, and I was nervous about doing it, but I knew I had to do it or this man might die," Brewer said. "So I attacked my fears, and it seemed like God just took over my body. I fell to my knees and started chest compressions.”
The paramedics said Brewer was responsible for saving the man’s life.
Williams was impressed—but not surprised—by Brewer's quick thinking.
"He went beyond the call of duty," he said. "He didn’t hesitate at all. He just went right to saving a life."
Mayor Lightfoot said the workers' actions show Chicago's strength in difficult times, adding that not all heroes wear capes.
“These last few months have been some of the most challenging in our city's history, but if you want to know how we've managed through this pandemic, look no further than public servants like these,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “This is what Chicago’s strength looks like. Not all heroes wear capes. Some work in hospitals, others help feed our students, and others run our sanitation routes.”