If you think lifesaving interventions are simple and straightforward, then listen to this.
The morning started the way most do. I got up, got ready for work as a photographer, organized my gear and began planning the day ahead. That was before the United Hatzalah volunteer in me woke up.
Then the alert came through. It is the alarm clock every first responder has.
This time, it was a cardiac arrest at a synagogue in Rehovot.
I left immediately, my orange vest always in hand.
By the time I arrived, the scene was already unfolding with urgency. A man lay on the floor, lifeless. No pulse. No breath. A defibrillator from the synagogue had already been used. Shocks were delivered. Now, full resuscitation efforts were underway.
We stepped in and began compressions, ventilation and coordinating emergency medical treatment, the kind where every second matters.
An intensive care team and a Magen David Adom ambulance arrived shortly after. CPR was now combined with medications, intubation and advanced interventions. A LUCAS device was placed, delivering consistent mechanical compressions. Everything was working.
The team loaded the patient into the ambulance and began transport toward Kaplan Medical Center, continuing resuscitation efforts as they drove.
And then, mid-transport, the machine stopped. The battery had run out.
No warning. No backup.
Their ALS ambulance had no compatible electrical outlet, unlike United Hatzalah ambulances. They were forced to stop on the side of the road and immediately resume manual compressions. We worked with renewed intensity, but we all understood the reality. Manual compressions, especially over time and in transit, are not the same.
They called for another ambulance to bring a charged LUCAS device. And then came the waiting, at a time when every second mattered.
I remember thinking if only I had the equipment in my car. Not my medical gear, but something just as lifesaving: a battery power pack from the drone unit.
I ran back, grabbed it and handed it over. They connected it to the LUCAS device. Within moments, the power was back on.
The mechanical compressions resumed: steady, precise, relentless. The ambulance continued to the hospital, now with the device running off a drone unit battery, performing resuscitation the entire way.
Sometimes, lifesaving moments require unconventional support, especially when your batteries are not charged. Sometimes, the equipment you need was never intended for that purpose, but it ends up being exactly what saves the day.
During “Operation Roaring Lion,” I have spent countless hours at impact sites across the country, operating drones over destroyed buildings, scanning for survivors, guiding teams through unstable terrain and helping first responders see what could not be seen from the ground.
I always believed in the power of those tools. But never would I have imagined using a drone battery to help keep a heart beating.
Because sometimes, saving a life is not about using instruments for a single purpose. Sometimes it means thinking beyond the expected and using your training to find solutions in real time.
That is what it means to be a United Hatzalah volunteer.
A drone battery is not just for drones. Today, it powered a heart. What will tomorrow bring?
Moshe Mizrahi, 43, a father of four, is a volunteer EMT at United Hatzalah and a United Hatzalah Drone Operator. Professionally, he works as a news photographer and covers events for television channels in Israel and around the world.
