Two Lives, One AED: My Story in USCCA's First Line
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This month, the USCCA featured my story in First Line, their newsletter to members across the country. I'm honored, and I wanted to share it here too.
In August 2021, USCCA Regional Training Manager Klint Macro asked a question in class that changed what I keep in my vehicle and bring to the range. Most of us carry a tourniquet, he pointed out, but is somebody more likely to get shot or to have a heart attack? I bought a refurbished AED, and it now rides in my car and comes out for every class and range day.
The unit I own is a Defibtech Lifeline VIEW. Its screen walks you through CPR and defibrillation with video and voice prompts, so even someone who has never used an AED can follow along.
The first save
One evening in August 2023, I almost left the AED behind on the way to dinner, but I went back for it. At the restaurant, a man went into cardiac arrest. I ran to the car for the AED. My wife, who's a nurse, and one of my students, an anesthesiologist, helped while a bystander did compressions. We ended up shocking him four times before the paramedics got there, and he woke up in the ambulance. About three months later, his two sisters signed up for one of my classes and thanked me for saving his life.
The second save
In April 2026, I stopped by the range for what was supposed to be 10 or 15 minutes while volunteers set up for a USPSA match. Then Doug Ports, one of my students and a friend, collapsed about 10 feet away. He wasn't breathing, had no pulse, and was beginning to turn blue. I got the AED from my car and delivered a shock within about 60 to 90 seconds. One person did compressions for about two minutes before another took over, while I managed his airway and the AED. Within two to three minutes, Doug started breathing again, and by the time the paramedics arrived, he was asking me where he was.
Doug now calls that day his second birthday. Since then, he has had his entire office trained in CPR and AED use, and he keeps an AED in his office, his home, and his vehicle.
Both of those saves trace back to that one simple conversation with Klint. After each of them, I called Klint to thank him, because that conversation directly affected both of these men's lives.
Our ask of you
Learn how to use an AED, and consider carrying one. If you know how to use it, it makes a difference in somebody's life.
Featured in USCCA First Line, Issue 082, November 2026.
Questions about training or AEDs? Call (443) 272-4867 or email don@safefirearmstraining.com.