USC Arcadia honors local fire departments for their quick stroke response times

The leadership and stroke teams at USC Arcadia Hospital visited Monrovia Fire Station #101 to present three first responders with a certificate for their quick stroke recognition and swift action treating a stroke patient.

First responders recognized for their efforts to help stroke patients receive prompt medical attention at the hospital

The leadership and stroke care teams at USC Arcadia Hospital (USC-AH) recently presented a certificate of appreciation to Monrovia Fire Station #101, recognizing the first responders’ exceptional stroke symptom recognition skills and swift action. Their rapid assessment and transport of the patient to USC-AH helped make possible a life-saving neuro intervention procedure.

Each year, the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency awards first responders with the quickest stroke treatment time in the county. For 2025, Monrovia Fire Station #101, working with USC-AH, took home this honor.

In January 2025, a 60-year-old patient called 911. The first responders dispatched to the patient’s home immediately recognized that the patient had suffered a large vessel occlusion (LVO), which completely blocks blood flow from a major artery to the brain and often results in disability or death when not treated quickly.

Due to the severity of the stroke, the first responders knew the patient needed to be taken to the closest Comprehensive Stroke Center, (CSC), USC-AH. The Los Angeles County EMS has designated USC-AH as one of 27 CSCs in recognition of its ability to provide the highest level of specialized stroke care.

They then alerted USC-AH that the patient was in route, giving the clinical team time to prepare to treat the patient. Once the patient arrived, the hospital stroke team performed a CT scan to confirm a large-vessel blockage, prepared for a thrombectomy (clot removal procedure) and started the surgery, all within 91 minutes. An approximate 90-minute window from the identification of a stroke to surgical intervention is considered ideal to prevent neurological deficits, according to the American Stroke Association. The sooner the patient can be treated, the less brain cell loss and the better outcome for the patient.

Due to the quick action of the Monrovia Fire Station first responders and the stroke team at the hospital, the patient had successful surgery and went home without any neurological damage for a full recovery.

USC-AH also recently paid a visit to recognize a local Arcadia fire station for fast transport of two other patients with strokes to the hospital for timely treatment.

“We are fortunate to work alongside such dedicated first responders,” said Ike Mmeje, president and CEO of USC Arcadia Hospital. “Meeting with the teams responsible for transporting stroke patients to our hospital gave us the opportunity to show them how their quick actions directly contributed to a positive patient outcome and to thank them personally for their service. This collaboration is essential to delivering timely stroke care and saving lives.”

The hospital’s multidisciplinary stroke team comprised of neurologists, neurosurgeons, interventional-radiologists, neuro-interventionalists, critical care intensivists, emergency physicians, radiologist, pharmacists, nurses and support staff. To learn more about stroke care at USC-AH, click here.

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Alison Bell Rainey

Alison Bell Rainey is a senior media specialist with Keck Medicine of USC.

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