Menifee man reunited with first responders who saved his life

Menifee resident Kurt Bell was reunited with the first responders who saved his life on a Menifee street last month.

A special group of first responders from the Menifee Police Department and Cal Fire were recently honored for their efforts in saving the life of a Menifee man. Here's the news release from MPD with details:

MENIFEE -- The City of Menifee Police Department is proud to be a part of a true example of being in the right place at the right time and a story that highlights the heroic actions first responders make on a daily basis.

On March 23 at approximately 11:48 a.m., Menifee Police Department officers were dispatched to a “man down” call at the intersection of Haun Road and Holland Road. Officers arrived on scene and observed a male adult unconscious and not breathing in the middle of the street.

A good Samaritan—an off-duty paramedic—was administering CPR. A second good Samaritan, an off-duty nurse, also began assisting with life-saving measures. Menifee PD officers arrived with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and assisted with the administration of CPR. First responders from CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department Menifee Station 68 arrived on scene and took control of life-saving measures.

A witness at the scene stated that the male was riding his bicycle in the number one lane of northbound Haun Road when he suddenly collapsed, seemingly without any interference from vehicles or other outside influences. The male, later identified as Menifee resident Kurt Bell, 66, was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center Murrieta, where it was determined that Bell had suffered a heart attack.

Off-duty CAL FIRE Fire Apparatus Engineer-Paramedic Jeff Pizillo and off-duty Riverside Community Hospital Nurse Claudia Moya were the good Samaritans who stopped to provide critical life-saving efforts. Menifee Police Officers Andrew Aivazian, Joshua Fernandez, and Sergeant Matthew Bloch assisted with the administration of CPR, and Officer Downey arrived with the AED.

While Bell remained in critical condition for a few days following the accident, he is now out of the hospital and on his way to a great recovery. Bell is extremely grateful to all the people involved in his life-saving efforts and wanted to personally thank all the first responders, off-duty and on.

On April 27, Loma Linda Hospital provided an opportunity for to reunite with the first responders from the Menifee Police Department and CAL FIRE who saved his life. During the touching event, Bell expressed his sincere gratitude that this entire team of people were at the right place at the right time with the right equipment and training.

Peter Baker, senior vice president for LLUMC Murrieta, emphasized what an incredible example this life-saving event is of the partnership between multiple first responders and hospital staff. He hopes this serves as a reminder of the importance of being prepared and highlighted that CPR and first aid training for the public can make all the difference in situations such as this.

If you or someone you know is interested in taking a CPR and/or first aid course, please contact the City of Menifee’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) coordinator, Vanessa Barrera, at 951-723-3771 or vbarrera@cityofmenifee.us. 

Kurt Bell shakes hands with one of the Menifee Police officers involved in his life-saving measures.

Members of Loma Linda University Medical Center Murrieta joined Kurt Bell and first responders during the reunion.