Aspiring Allen firefighter saved by paramedics after going into cardiac arrest

ALLEN, Texas - An aspiring firefighter is fighting for his life after suddenly going into cardiac arrest.

18-year-old Jakob Perez was completing an agility demonstration at Allen’s Central Fire Station when he suddenly collapsed.

His family credits the quick actions of the paramedics with saving his life.

At just 18 years old, Jakob Perez knew he wanted to help people. 

"He’s just really big into helping his community, and he’s always had this thing about being a hero," Crystal Hall, his sister, said.

Perez, whom his family calls JJ, believed the best way to do both was to become a firefighter. 

The Allen High School grad enrolled in the Allen Fire Department’s Citizen’s Fire Academy, an 8-week course that gives people a chance to learn more about what the job of a firefighter entails. 

"He was always excited to be here. Every day they had an activity, you know, he did practice putting out a car fire, practice tying knots, everything he did, he was just very excited and wanted to absorb as much as he could," said Jonathan Boyd, the fire chief of the Allen Fire Department. 

On May 9th, the Citizen’s Fire Academy held its awards ceremony, and part of the program included a demonstration of the physical ability test firefighters must perform. 

Perez climbed to the fourth level of the tower and began to lift up a fire hose. 

"I was here, and I happen to hear the hose fall on the ground. I look up, and I see JJ was on the ground," Boyd recalled.

The two paramedics next to him sprang into action and quickly realized this was something serious. 

"We later found out that he had a, I think they called it a 'sudden cardiac death,' so he was actually gone before he ever hit the ground," said Hall.

The paramedics performed life-saving measures, and Perez’s pulse came back by the time he was at the hospital. 

"They performed all the advanced procedures on the stairwell to the tower. It’s just really amazing what they’re able to do in such a small space and such quick time," said Boyd.

Perez is still in critical condition in the ICU, but he's making big strides in his recovery. 

Since the incident, Chief Boyd and other members of the department visit Perez every day, and on Sunday, he was able to talk to them. 

"He saw us through the glass as we were walking up, started waving at us. I think his first question to me was 'When can I come back?' 'When can I do some more?'" recalled Boyd.

It's a sign that his desire to help is very much alive, and for that, the family is forever grateful to the Allen Fire Department. 

"They are heroes, and they saved our hero," said Hall.

The family says JJ doesn’t have an underlying health issue that they’re aware of.

Doctors plan to run more tests to see why he experienced cardiac arrest.

The Allen fire chief says they look forward to the day JJ returns to the fire station, and they plan to help him achieve his goal.