RENO, Nevada — A University of Nevada, Reno office emergency became a life-saving chain of action when campus staff began CPR, an AED was brought to the scene and a University Police officer took over chest compressions before fire and medical crews arrived, according to a University of Nevada, Reno report.

The university said the emergency happened Friday, May 29, shortly before 2 p.m., when a contractor working on a flooring project at the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies, or CASAT, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

CASAT staff started CPR and brought an AED

According to the university, CASAT employees Manda Brown, Michelle Berry, Bryana Guerra-Carrera, Sarah DiNatale, Kaitlyn Witt and Sophia Bassi responded immediately. The report said 911 was called, CPR was started and an automated external defibrillator was brought to the scene.

University Police Department — Northern Command Officer Mario Mendieta was the first officer to arrive and immediately took over CPR efforts, the university reported. Officer Ian Knight then arrived and helped direct Reno Fire Department and REMSA Health personnel to the area.

Recognition from Reno after a “chain of survival” response

The university said CASAT, REMSA Health, the Reno Fire Department and University Police Department — Northern Command were recognized by the City of Reno during the June 10 City Council meeting for their role in the response.

“Officer Mendieta's prompt response, decisive actions, and continued life-saving efforts helped sustain the victim during a critical medical emergency and contributed to the chain of survival that ultimately resulted in the restoration of the victim's heartbeat and transport to definitive medical care,” Josh Reynolds, deputy chief of the University Police Department — Northern Command, said in the university report.

The university said Reno Fire and REMSA restored the contractor's heartbeat after several defibrillation attempts, and the contractor was transported to Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center. The public report said he is recovering at home.

Why this one is worth sharing

This story is not only about one officer or one agency. It shows why CPR training, AED access, dispatch, police response, fire response and EMS all matter in the first minutes of a cardiac emergency.

Michelle Berry, CASAT executive director, said in the university report that she was proud of how staff responded and called the case a reminder of why CPR and AED training matter.

The university also cited American Heart Association guidance that immediate CPR can double or triple a person's chance of survival after cardiac arrest, while the American Red Cross notes survival chances decrease for every minute CPR and AED use are delayed.

Sources reviewed

Editorial note: ThinBlueNews did not name the contractor. The featured image uses a real University of Nevada, Reno source photo with added headline/source labeling; no AI-generated rescue scene or fake medical image was used.