The eighth annual Save a Life Saturday, hosted by the Cranberry Township Emergency Medical Service, wasn't in person this year.

But that didn't mean the virtual ceremony was any less poignant.

CTEMS was once again able to reunite this year's cardiac arrest victims with those who helped them to survive.

“It's an opportunity for them to meet all the people who had a part (in) their survival,” said Mandy Cousins, community outreach coordinator for CTEMS.

Joined by police, fire and EMS personnel from southwestern Butler County, Cheryl Rickens from UPMC and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association thanked those who saved the lives of two people this year.One of those people, William Kalkstein of Zelienople, was able to personally thank his saviors during Saturday's event.“I did realize how extensive it was,” Kalkstein said.On Sept. 20, Kalkstein suffered a cardiac arrest while watching a movie at home with his girlfriend, Christina Baktay.Baktay, who is a registered nurse and a member of the nursing faculty at La Roche University, recognized the symptoms and started hands-only CPR before emergency responders arrived.For Baktay's initiative, Rickens presented her with a certificate and Good Samaritan pin on behalf of association. Every second counts in a cardiac emergency, according to Rickens.“Survival decreases by 10% every minute,” Rickens said.About 25 minutes elapsed from the time Kalkstein first collapsed to the moment EMS took him away, according to Baktay.Cousins said one of the missions of Save a Life Saturday is to recognize people who often go overlooked, but are perhaps the most important part of anyone's survival.“The bystanders,” Cousins said. “Because without them, it literally would sometimes take us too long to get there.”“If we don't get bystanders involved ... we're already behind the eight ball,” said Ted Fessides, executive director of CTEMS. “That chain of survival is a real thing.”The first responders who arrived on-scene to regenerate a pulse and transport Kalkstein to the hospital included an off-duty Jackson Township police officer, Zelienople police, Harmony Fire District and CTEMS.They were also awarded certificates and uniform pins for their efforts.

Kalkstein, who underwent two automated external defibrillator shocks and a triple bypass surgery following his cardiac event, thanked those involved in his survival.“It's a simple thing,” Kalkstein said. “But it's a profound thing.”Save a Life Saturday, always held the second Saturday in November, usually includes hands-only CPR lessons to prepare people for handling future cardiac events.“We just felt it was prudent to not do that part this year,” Cousins said, citing the pandemic.An instructional video of hands-only CPR is posted on the CTEMS Facebook page.With changes to diet and exercise, Kalkstein said he's slowly getting back to his normal life.“It's getting there, so it's good,” Kalkstein said. “It's a process.”

CTEMS saw about a 30% drop in its volume of emergency calls from February through April, according to Cousins.Many emergency services have noted 911 calls decreased dramatically when the pandemic began this spring in Pennsylvania.This was particularly true for vehicle crashes as citizens quarantined at home.What's a little more difficult to explain is irregularities in the number of cardiac events CTEMS was called for.Cousins said because CTEMS is a 501(c) 3, the service isn't funded through taxes like police and fire departments are.It gets as much as 90% of its revenues through calls because of insurance. Fewer emergency calls means less funding for operations.To be able to stage events such as Save a Life Saturday helps to both recognize emergency workers and remind the public they're still here.“These (events) are a big deal,” Fessides said. “We need to celebrate them.”