Print

FDNY reunites cardiac arrest patients and their rescuers at 28th Annual Second Chance Ceremony

May 23, 2024


In honor of National EMS Week, the FDNY held its 28th Annual Second Chance Ceremony on Thursday, May 23, 2024, reuniting eight cardiac arrest patients with the first responders and bystanders who helped save their lives.  

"The Second Chance Ceremony really is the highlight of EMS Week — illuminating the exceptional dedication and skill of our EMS members who perform miracles every single day," Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said at the annual event, which took place at Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn. "The FDNY responds to an astonishing 1.6 million medical calls. In the face of emergency and desperation, our EMTs, paramedics, officers and dispatchers provide help."
 
FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said: "Each year, I'm amazed by this ceremony. It's not often that first responders get to meet the people whose lives they saved, but when they do, it truly is a very special moment. Today's ceremony is not just about celebrating survival. It's about acknowledging the chain of survival — the quick thinking and bravery that epitomizes the spirit of the FDNY. Each survivor's story is a testament to the power of immediate action.”  

The Second Chance Ceremony has reunited more than 200 patients with members of the FDNY who saved their lives.  

Several of this year's survivors received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from bystanders before on-duty FDNY members arrived. The FDNY CPR Training Unit offers free, compressions-only CPR classes throughout New York City and has trained more than 200,000 New Yorkers to perform bystander CPR, including more than 80,000 high school students.

2024 Second Chance Brunch


The Second Chance Ceremony has reunited more than 200 patients with members of the FDNY who saved their lives.

RELATED LINKS