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Fire chief comes to boy's rescue Photo by Bob Pennell Nineteen-month-old Matthew Merritt and his mom, Julie, are thankful the real fire chief, Medford's Dave Bierwiler, was nearby and helped out when Matthew had a seizure in Wal-Mart recently. Bierwiler's opportune presence has helped people several times. Right place, right time -- again By JOANNA COLLINS When Julie Merritt's 19-month-old son, Matthew, stopped breathing in Wal-Mart April 29, Merritt didn't know what to do. "I just screamed for 9-1-1," said Merritt. Luckily, Dave Bierwiler was shopping only a few feet away. Bierwiler is Medford's fire chief. "The next thing I knew Dave was grabbing Matthew out of my arms," said Merritt. Bierwiler started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Another shopper used a cell phone to call paramedics. An off-duty nurse also assisted. Once paramedics arrived, Bierwiler helped an onlooker who had gotten light-headed and hit her head on a shelf. "If Dave wouldn't have been there, or that nurse wouldn't have been there, my son would've died," said Merritt. But don't try to proclaim Bierwiler a hero. Even after 30 years in the rescue business, he doesn't like the attention. "I'm never off-duty," said Bierwiler, who's headed the Medford Fire Department since 1989. "Being a firefighter is a way of life, it's not a job." Being at the right place at the right time is nothing out of the ordinary for Bierwiler. More than once he's been in restaurants when someone's choked on food. Another time, he watched a plane crash into a field while he was driving. "I'm thankful that I happen to be in the right place to help people," said Bierwiler. When Merritt left home with her family to go shopping that day, Matthew was fine. Her husband, Chad, dropped her off at Wal-Mart with Matthew and Matthew's 6-year-old sister. Chad Merritt went next door to Eagle Hardware and Garden with the couple's 4-year-old son. In Wal-Mart, Merritt thought Matthew felt warm, but after taking his temperature she figured there was no cause for alarm. Then she noticed he looked sleepy. As Merritt lifted Matthew out of the cart, she saw his eyes roll back. Matthew was having a seizure. He stopped breathing. That's when Merritt screamed for 911. And the good Samaritans stepped forward. "A lot of people will just walk away," she said. But in this case, people stepped forward. The woman who called the paramedics also called Merritt's husband at Eagle and Merritt's father. And numerous employees helped keep the area clear. "You can remember faces," said Merritt, "but you'll never be able to thank them all." Doctors still don't know what is wrong with Matthew, his mom says. On the way to the hospital April 29, he stopped breathing twice more. Since then, he's stayed sick with fevers, ear infections and a soar throat. Numerous tests have revealed no answers. Fortunately, Matthew has been able to stay home with his mother for the majority of the time. "It's so scary when a little guy like this is so sick," said Merritt. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA