Santa Barbara Man Thanks Firefighters Who Saved His Life

A local man finally got the chance to say thank you to two Santa Barbara City firefighters who saved his life.

Karl Maier doesn’t remember much about the day he had a heart attack.

“I was too busy being dead. It was up to these guys to bring me back,” said Maier.

Capt. Kevin Bryant remembers March 15, 2009 vividly.

He says the call came in around 9 in the morning.

“We were called to respond to a man down with a possible head injury. We didn’t know it was a code blue,” said Bryant.

It took four minutes for Bryant and now retired firefighter William Veazey to get to Maier’s home.

Maier was unconscious, not breathing and had no pulse.

“We went into our CPR mode and got to work,” said Veazey.

While Veazey and another firefighter did CPR, Bryant shocked Maier with an AED, or automatic external defibrillator.

Maier’s heart started beating again and the crew loaded him into an ambulance that took him to the hospital.

“It changes your outlook. I try to be a better person. I try not to swear as much,” said Maier.

Maier was inspired by what the firefighters did to save his life.

He wrote a book called “The Men of Fire” and dedicated it to Bryant, Veazey, and all of the firefighters who lost their lives in the 9/11 tragedy.

Maier plans to donate some of the proceeds to help buy more lifesaving equipment for fire departments.