A 16-year San Jose firefighting veteran who suffered a cardiac arrest after fighting a church fire last week awoke Tuesday morning to the delight of his crew and community.
A security guard at Regional Medical Center in San Jose came rushing up to firefighter Russ Davis and said: "He's calling for you."
The "he" refers to Francis "Frank" Ryan, who had been in a coma since Thursday after he and crews battled a three-alarm fire at Saint Patrick Cathedral near downtown. Ryan suffered a cardiac arrest and was put into a medically induced coma.
He opened his eyes Tuesday about 8 a.m.
Davis, who rides the fire truck with Ryan, asked his friend why he was in the hospital, and at first, Ryan couldn't remember why. Later, Ryan was joking with his friends, gently mocking colleagues who ride the truck with him, Davis told NBC Bay Area.
Capt. Mary Gutierrez said the doctors will re-evaluate Ryan Tuesday night, and the entire department has its fingers crossed that he can be moved out of the ICU and into a regular room.
As of Tuesday, Gutierrez said investigators still hadn't been able to determine what started the 11 a.m. fire at the church. The bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was called in to help investigate.
