RSA Channel Exec's Heroic Act Goes Viral

During the week, Michael Rothschild of EMC's security division RSA, is engaged in marketing strategies for his company's intelligence-driven security solutions.

But during his free time, the Teaneck, N.J.-based global channel marketing executive races to house fires, car accidents and other emergencies as part of his EMT duties for the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Though Rothschild has worked as an EMT for over 30 years, his volunteer efforts only recently fell under the spotlight after a viral video emerged of him dragging a man having a heart attack more than a quarter mile down a blocked highway to medical aid.

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On Jan. 18, Rothschild and one other volunteer responded to a massive, ice-induced 30-car pileup on New Jersey's Route 95. Due to the icy weather that Sunday, most police and fire units in the area were occupied, so the two volunteers were in charge of attending to the 16 patients injured in the mile-long mess.

As Rothschild ventured further down the road looking for more patients, he was called to respond to a man showing early signs of a heart attack in the back of a livery cab.

"It was far away from the scene where we'd parked; I couldn't get back and get my tools," he said. "I had to improvise and use what I had ... so I ended up asking around for a blanket, and then bystanders helped me drag the man back to the car. We loaded all the patients into the ambulance and got them out."

Due to Rothschild's quick thinking, the patient was able to get to the hospital and is now in stable condition, he said. A video of Rothschild and two others dragging the patient was recorded by a bystander and loaded onto the Internet, instantly going viral.

Rothschild has been volunteering as an EMT since high school, long before he took the helm in product and solutions marketing. His passion for technology, coupled with his interest in security solutions to safeguard companies from cyberthreats, eventually landed him a job at RSA last July.

While the two jobs couldn't be more different, working as a volunteer in such intense environments has helped Rothschild develop skills that enhance his productivity as a channel marketing executive, he said.

"I think there are certainly some things that translate, like using a different level of creativity to build strategies," he said. "During my job, I have to be creative and do something different in the same way I had to be creative at that car accident."

Christine Bufalini, director of Global Channel Operations at RSA, praised her co-worker's volunteer efforts and said Rothschild "fits the mold for RSA perfectly."

"RSA's strategy is to hire people who want to make a difference around security," she said. "Michael not only fits this perfectly, but he also thinks outside the box, both in his EMT volunteer work and in looking at strategy around cybersecurity. Many of our employees, like Michael, thrive in going over and beyond their regular full-time job."

Rothschild encourages other employees working in the channel to get involved in volunteering.

"Many companies for the first time are actively pursuing some type of charity to give back to the community," he said. "I'd urge everyone in the business to do the same, even though the government doesn't mandate it. When you give back, you get more."

PUBLISHED FEB. 10, 2015