All Ernest Kobak wanted to do was watch “Bonanza” on TV that evening last May, and if it weren’t for the efforts of two Parkville police officers that might have been his last round-up.
On Tuesday Feb. 15, Kobak, 73, and the two responding officers, Sgt. Kevin Davis and Officer Adam Welsh, were reunited at Parkville’s Board of Aldermen meeting. There the two officers were honored and received awards for their efforts in reviving Kobak.
The events of May 6 were relived during the meeting as Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman recounted the event to the packed audience.
A call came in through dispatch around 3:15 p.m. that there was a medical emergency in the Pine Crest neighborhood. Davis was close to the area and responded quickly. Once he arrived at the scene he was approached by Kobak’s granddaughter who told him that her grandfather was on the floor and not breathing.
“Once Sgt. Davis reached Kobak he realized he was in some sort of cardiac arrest, he was told that Kobak wasn’t under any current physician care and that he didn’t have any current medical conditions” Chrisman said.
Davis hooked up the automated external defibrillator and moved Kobak to a hard surface and began to cut away his clothing. The AED showed Davis that Kobak needed to be shocked.
“Sgt. Davis had the people clear and he did one shock,” Chrisman said. “About that same time officer Welsh arrived at the scene.”
Officer Welsh immediately began doing CPR and chest compressions on Mr. Kobak. After their efforts and three shocks Kobak regained a slight pulse and started breathing. Shortly after he began breathing, Kobak was taken to North Kansas City Hospital. A few hours later the Parkville Police Department received word that Kobak was in stable condition and was breathing on his own.
For Kobak, the incident was a blur he can’t remember.
“I sat down to watch “Bonanza,” Kobak said. “The kids said, ‘No you can’t watch Bonanza anymore’, and then I woke up six days later in the hospital.”
Even though Kobak can’t remember the two officers helping him that day he says he is very thankful.
“I can’t say enough praise to them,” Kobak said. “They are the reason I’m standing here today. I would have died if it wasn’t for the quick response, and that’s what made it possible.”
Welsh had been with the Parkville Police Department for 17 months when the call came in. He says doing things like this is what policing is about.
“It’s always a good thing when the police get to help someone,” Welsh said. “Opposed to just writing tickets or arresting people, this is what we are here for, more than anything it’s to save lives.”
Davis has been with the Parkville Police Department for 20 years. He has been trained through the American Heart Association to respond to calls like these, and this wasn’t his first time.
“I’ve been on two or three things like this where the person didn’t survive,” Davis said. “This is the first person who survived and didn’t experience any long lasting ill effects.”
During the incident the officers didn’t have time to think. They just had to do what they were trained.
“The adrenaline didn’t dump until after the fact,” Welsh said. “I didn’t really think about it until he was in the ambulance and on his way to the hospital.”
“You just fall back on your training,” Davis said. “You feel a sense that you have to hurry, every minute that you don’t do everything you know it’s harder for them to survive.”
Chrisman said it was important for the two men to be formally honored.
“This is a proud moment,” Chrisman said. “It’s a great accomplishment and not one of them asked for any recognition. They need to know we appreciate and care about them.”
“He told me right before Christmas this year that he put a note in his grandkids Christmas gifts,” Davis said. “The note said if it weren’t for Sgt. Davis and Officer Welsh I wouldn’t be here for Christmas. Now that will break your heart.”
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