CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati firefighter stepped up on a flight out of CVG when another passenger was experiencing a medical emergency.

Part of the way through the flight from Cincinnati to Salt Lake City, passengers started to notice another passenger needed help.

“It was clear that there was someone in distress. The flight attendants were asking around if there was anyone who had medical help,” another passenger on the plane, Blake Taylor, said.

A few rows in front of Taylor, another passenger had already taken charge of the situation.

"Once the flight attendants started going through their motions and their protocols, they brought me a medical bag that had everything I needed, there was a nurse there that was helping out," Kenny Christo said.

He's a Cincinnati firefighter and EMT at Station 23 in East Walnut Hills.

Christo was able to assess the passenger, get an IV started and monitor her until the plane landed and local EMTs took over.

"It happened very calmly, very efficiently and really impressive," Taylor said.

Christo said by the time he got on his connecting flight out of Salt Lake City, the woman was conscious and talking.

This isn't the first time he's stepped in to help someone when he's off the clock.

"It's just what we do. Especially Cincinnati firefighters. We're always on the ready, we're always there to help out," Christo said.

He said most of the time, firefighters in a situation like this are happy to help. They do what they can to make sure the stranger in need is okay, then do exactly what Christo did: turn around and go about their day, not looking for any credit.

SALT LAKE CITY — A man was arrested at the Salt Lake City International Airport Monday after witnesses said he berated crew and fellow passengers during a flight.

The incident happened Monday on American Airlines flight 1802 from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City.

Dennis Busch, who witnessed the man's behavior and arrest, said the passenger yelled at a woman of Asian ethnicity, telling her to sit down while she was standing up "to deal with a back issue."

"He then told flight attendants that the woman and the person she was with 'didn't belong here,'" Busch wrote in an Instagram post.

"After asking him to calm down the man went into a complete meltdown of racist, sexist and belligerent comments, culminating in his arrest at the gate," Busch wrote. "We were lucky to have such a well trained crew who kept their cool throughout the flight!"

Dennis Busch

A Salt Lake City International Airport spokesperson confirmed that police arrested the unruly passenger after the flight landed. They later said that the man was taken to a hospital to be checked out. They then cited him for public intoxication.

American Airlines also confirmed that the passenger was removed by police.

"We thank our crew for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding," a company spokesperson added in the statement.

Dennis Busch

The Federal Aviation Administration says it has seen a disturbing spike in reports of unruly passenger behavior in 2021. The FAA has initiated 750 such investigations so far in 2021 — a number three times higher than a typical calendar year.

Earlier this year, the agency instituted a "zero-tolerance" policy when it comes to unruly passenger behavior.

This story was originally published by Spencer Burt on Scripps station KSTU in Salt Lake City.

MILLCREEK, Utah — Four skiers are dead after an avalanche in Millcreek Canyon, which is in the Salt Lake City area.

The Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake said it received a "faint" distress call around 11:40 a.m. Saturday. Despite poor cell phone reception in the area, officers were able to determine that the slide happened in the Wilson Glade area of Wilson Fork. It is also near Alexander Basin and Gobblers Knob.

UPD later confirmed that four of the skiers were dead and four others were alive. All eight had avalanche beacons.

The medical status of the survivors was not immediately available, but officials say they were able to dig themselves out. The surviving skiers were also able to locate and dig out the other four, but they had already died.

Search and rescue teams from several agencies are working to recover the bodies in a way that will not further endanger crews from getting caught in another avalanche.

“We are heartbroken over the tragic news of four fatalities as the result of an avalanche in the Millcreek Canyon area this afternoon," Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson wrote in a statement. "We deeply mourn the loss of life due to this devastating incident.”

The incident is the first deadly avalanche in Salt Lake County this winter season. There were two others last month in the Park City backcountry: a skier in the Square Top area and a snowboarder in Dutch Draw, respectively.

Gov. Spencer Cox also issued a statement, writing on Twitter:

The Utah Avalanche Center reports that an avalanche was remotely triggered in the same general area just one day prior. Nobody was caught in it.

UPD says Millcreek Canyon is closed to recreation at least through Sunday, but restaurants and businesses in the canyon will still be open.

The victims' names have not yet been released, and the survivors' medical status is not known at this time.

This story was originally published by Jonah Napoli, Spencer Burt and Spencer Joseph at KSTU.