EMS instructor was acting out a heart attack — then students noticed an alarming change in his face and realized it was real
Medical students and trainees are often taught to stay calm under pressure, but facing an actual emergency is a completely different experience. The same situation unfolded when an EMS instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton was giving Emergency Medical Technician students a realistic heart attack demonstration, as reported by 26 Northeast Wisconsin on April 30, 2026. However, what initially appeared to be just a training exercise quickly turned into something far more serious when a sudden change in the instructor’s face revealed that something was genuinely wrong.
Inside a training ambulance, EMS instructor Karl Arps was simulating symptoms of a heart attack as part of a classroom demonstration. However, student Logan Lehrer soon noticed Arps’ hand curling outward and his head turning away, according to the Fox Valley Technical College website. At first, he assumed the instructor had simply shifted into demonstrating another set of symptoms. But when Lehrer noticed discoloration in Arps’ face and his eyes rolling backward, signs that could not be part of the act, it became clear to everyone that the situation was no longer a demonstration but a real cardiac arrest.
“And Karl has done scenarios where he plays the part really good, like he deserves an Oscar,” said Lehrer, who had initially confused the actual cardiac arrest with Arps acting. Soon, another EMS instructor, Traci Blondeau, stepped in to help and took command of the situation while the students also quickly followed protocol. They dialed 911, moved Arps out of the training ambulance, and began administering CPR in shifts. “Our instructor confirmed Karl didn’t have a pulse. And she sent me to grab an AED,” Lehrer said. According to the American Red Cross, an Automated External Defibrillator is a medical device used to check the heart's rhythm and, when needed, send an electric shock to help restore a normal heartbeat.
He survived the heart attack, which he later described as a “widowmaker,” and was discharged from the hospital within a week. According to the Preventive Diagnostic Center, only around 12% of people who experience a widowmaker heart attack outside a hospital survive the medical emergency. Arps underwent approximately four and a half minutes of CPR and two life-saving electric shocks to stabilize him. He was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, where doctors later performed triple bypass surgery.
"What can I say to six students who saved my life? It's something I will, God, never forget," Arps said. He received a hero’s welcome on returning to the classroom where the emergency had unfolded. Now recovering well, Arps is working toward returning to teaching as soon as possible. Reflecting on surviving the ordeal, he said, “I am one in a million, I feel like one in a trillion.”