Braiden McElhaney, an off-duty Security Officer and candidate for the Chautauqua County Legislature, utilized CPR training in an emergency while recently attending a concert.

Braiden McElhaney, an off-duty security officer and candidate for the Chautauqua County Legislature, recently attended a concert that he called “incredible.” His actions after the show were every bit as incredible.

While exiting the venue after the show, McElhaney came across an elderly man in distress. The man was sitting on the ground, leaning against a pole, as he had issues moving his legs. McElhaney learned that 911 was dialed and help was on its way, but he decided to stay with the man until paramedics arrived.

About a minute after that decision, the man’s condition dramatically worsened. He became unresponsive and leaned back on the ground. McElhaney searched for the man’s pulse, but could not find one.

Just days earlier, McElhaney was trained by Chautauqua County EMS education CPR instructors as part of his job training. McElhaney said that after being unable to locate a pulse, he began to administer CPR in accordance with the training he received. He continued for about 2-3 minutes until paramedics arrived.

“It was terrifying, to be honest,” McElhaney said. “I didn’t really think — the training just kind of kicked in pretty quickly. I just remembered that I had to put my hands at a certain spot and I had to do compressions to the song ‘Stayin’ Alive.’ I played that song in my head as I was doing CPR.”

From using The Bee Gees hit song as a guide to keep the rhythm of compressions, to accurate hand placement and technique, McElhaney credited his training from Chautauqua County EMS for his response to the situation.

“The instructors were very good at explaining, in detail, exactly what to do and how to react in that situation,” McElhaney said. “The biggest thing they taught us was, even when things are going crazy, you have to remain calm – and that’s what I did.”

The man in distress allegedly underwent three separate rounds of CPR, as his pulse was restored on multiple occasions. He was responsive during transport to a nearby hospital.

McElhaney was told the man eventually passed away, three days after receiving treatment at the concert. “That gave him three more days with his family,” McElhaney said.

An estimated 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are suffered each year, according to the American Heart Association. Of those, only 40% of the victims are estimated to receive CPR from a bystander. The American Heart Association educates close to 22 million people globally each year, including CPR and first aid training.

McElhaney hopes his experience will motivate others to follow his path in being trained in CPR.

“Something I would definitely advocate for is getting trained in CPR. It’s very important,” McElhaney said. “You never know when you’ll need it.”