Fort Myers Beach first responders share life-saving choking tips after deputy's rescue

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (WINK) — A Lee County deputy saved a woman from choking on an apple, prompting local first responders to remind the community about proper choking response techniques.

Bodycam video shows the deputy rushing to help the woman who was grasping for air. After a few attempts to get her to cough up the apple, the deputy successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver.

(Credit: Lee County Sheriff's Office)

"There it went.. Awesome," the deputy said in the bodycam footage.

Fort Myers Beach Fire and EMS said choking is more common than people think, making it important to recognize early warning signs.

"They may be coughing, and if they're coughing, you want to encourage them to continue coughing, continue coughing, because sometimes that cough reflex may actually get the object out, or they're not completely choking yet," Alejandro Kreuse of Fort Myers Beach Fire and EMS said.

Once someone recognizes a person needs help, force and quick thinking become critical.

"You're applying pressure. You want to try to position your hands in such a way where your thumbs are going to be pointed outward, and you want to give a forceful push into the stomach that will cause, kind of like air to push whatever object is covering the esophagus to expel that object out," Kreuse said.

If the person goes unconscious, CPR becomes necessary. Compressions should go down an inch and a half to two inches at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute.

Kreuse addressed the common fear of hurting someone while performing the Heimlich or CPR.

"I wouldn't worry so much about breaking ribs. I would be more worried about stopping the choking process. Same thing with CPR. People get afraid of pushing on the chest for CPR because they might crack a rib. Ultimately, the choking or the cardiac arrest is going to kill you, not the broken ribs," Kreuse said.

First responders emphasized that staying calm, assessing the situation and acting quickly are critical when only minutes remain to save a life.