Florida Firefighter, Police Officer Save Committee Member During Budget Meeting

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. --

A man suffered a heart attack on a live television broadcast from Miami Beach City Hall on Thursday night.

Just seconds after giving a speech at a budget advisory meeting, committee member Antonio Hernandez could be heard choking during another member's speech. Then, he keeled over his chair, with his head into the desk. He was in cardiac arrest.

Miami Beach firefighter Adonis Garcia and police Officer Alex Bello, who were on hand to speak about the budget, rushed to his side, and that was where the video stopped. Garcia and Bello performed CPR and Hernandez, who had no pulse, was brought back to life, Local 10's Rob Schmitt reported.

"At that moment, we do what we do by nature -- ran up there," said Garcia.

"We immediately began CPR with the assistance of the fire chief also, and luckily we were all here. It was a great team effort. This is what we're born to do," Bello said.

Fire rescue arrived and resuscitated Hernandez again. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach and is expected to recover.

"You have to have lived it to understand it. This is what we do. At the end of the day, it's really not for the money. We do it because it's in us," Garcia said.

The budget meeting during which the officer and the firefighter helped Hernandez was called to discuss possible budget cuts for the Miami Beach fire and police departments.

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