Basketball coach saves life of opposing coach during medical emergency

"I noticed his lips were purple; he wasn't breathing," said Ian Haffer.

Read the full article on KETV 7

The quick response of a middle school basketball coach in Massachusetts saved the life of an opposing coach who was having a heart attack during a game last Thursday night.Belmont Middle School coach Ian Haffer was on the sidelines during a boys basketball game against John F. Kennedy Middle School when coach Ronnie Poirier fell face down about three minutes into the game.”Everyone was just unsure of what was going on,” Haffer said. “I noticed his lips were purple; he wasn’t breathing, you know, I kind of said, ‘We need an AED, we need to call 911.'”Haffer’s training as a doctor immediately kicked in as he removed Poirier’s shirt and put the AED pads on Poirier’s chest.”I was on with the dispatcher and the dispatcher was talking me through it, and goes, ‘Okay, get the AED,'” said Reed Bundy, a parent. “And before I could even tell them to do that, Ian had already done that.”Officials confirm Poirier had suffered a heart attack and credit Haffer’s quick action for saving the Waltham coach’s life.Although Poirier is still recovering at the hospital, he said he’s “beyond grateful” for Haffer and the support he’s received. Poirier told sister station WCVB he’s waiting on some more hospital testing before he’s released

BELMONT, Mass. —

The quick response of a middle school basketball coach in Massachusetts saved the life of an opposing coach who was having a heart attack during a game last Thursday night.

Belmont Middle School coach Ian Haffer was on the sidelines during a boys basketball game against John F. Kennedy Middle School when coach Ronnie Poirier fell face down about three minutes into the game.

“Everyone was just unsure of what was going on,” Haffer said. “I noticed his lips were purple; he wasn’t breathing, you know, I kind of said, ‘We need an AED, we need to call 911.'”

Haffer’s training as a doctor immediately kicked in as he removed Poirier’s shirt and put the AED pads on Poirier’s chest.

“I was on with the dispatcher and the dispatcher was talking me through it, and goes, ‘Okay, get the AED,'” said Reed Bundy, a parent. “And before I could even tell them to do that, Ian had already done that.”

Officials confirm Poirier had suffered a heart attack and credit Haffer’s quick action for saving the Waltham coach’s life.

Although Poirier is still recovering at the hospital, he said he’s “beyond grateful” for Haffer and the support he’s received.

Poirier told sister station WCVB he’s waiting on some more hospital testing before he’s released