High school trainer, 2 students save coach after he collapsed during football game
(L-R): Kinesiology student Frederick Kweon, Athletic Trainer Logan Post, and Kinesiology student and Owen Kelso
IRVINE, Calif. - A high school athletic trainer and his two students are being hailed as heroes after the three jumped in to save the life of a football coach, after he collapsed on the sidelines at a game last month.
The Beckman High School Varsity Football team played Azusa High School at Citrus College in Glendora on Sept. 14. During the third quarter of that game, coach Jed Fernando, one of Beckman's assistant coaches, collapsed, the Orange County Register reported. Together, athletic trainer Logan Post and his two students, Frederick Kweon and Owen Kelso, jumped into action to save him.
According to the district, Post and Kweon began CPR when the coach stopped breathing — Post gave Fernando chest compressions while Kelso grabbed a facemask so Kweon could give the coach rescue breaths. The two students then helped get the AED there and ready. Fernando was resuscitated before paramedics got there and brought him to the hospital.
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This past week, Post and his students were honored by the Tustin Unified School District Board of ed and the Santa Ana-Tustin Rotary.
"Logan, Frederick and Owen's actions saved this coach's life," said Beckman Principal Dr. Donnie Rafter. "It is amazing to see a teacher and his students use the concepts learned in class to actually save a life."
According to TUSD, Post has been with the district since 2013, serving as the athletic trainer part-time until the district made the position full-time in 2018. Kweon and Kelso are part of the district's Applied Medical CTE Pathway.
"I feel very fortunate that my students and I were able to respond the way we did," Post said. "You hope you never have to deal with emergency situations like this, but when they do comeup you also hope that your training takes over. This was very much the cast that night. We go over all sorts of emergency situations in class, and they learn the skills of CPR and AED use, but to put it into practice is a lot to ask of even seasoned responders. The way Freddie and Owen stepped up was incredible, and I'm thankful they were able to use those skills in a real and meaningful way."