TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – The Fairview Fire District Board of Commissioners honored some of their firefighters and EMTs for saving lives at a special event Tuesday night.
According to Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Andrew Calamari, the honorees “went above and beyond for these particular alarms and we needed to commend them for the work they do, day in and day out.”
Calamari described the first incident as one that saved the life of a heart attack victim. Calamari said that on June 19, the Fairview Fire Department was dispatched to a Dunkin’ Donuts on Violet Avenue for a report of a female having a seizure. Firefighter/EMTs Ryan Keefe and Matt Cobb arrived on the scene in the ambulance and found a patient in cardiac arrest. The two started CPR and radioed for assistance. An AED was used to provide one shock to the patient in an attempt to revive the patient’s heart. Captain Tim Gilnack, Lieutenant Jon Wilson, and Firefighter/EMT Ryan Fincham helped put the patient in the ambulance while CPR continued. Calamari said that during the transport to the hospital, the patient’s circulation returned. The patient was subsequently treated at the hospital and discharged soon thereafter. As a result of the actions, the district awarded career Firefighter/EMTs Ryan Keefe and Matt Cobb both the “Life-Saving” award and the “Unit Citation” for their heroics that day. The district also honored Captain Gilnack, Lt. Jon Wilson, and Firefighter/EMT Ryan Fincham with the Unit Citation for their efforts on June 19.
Two days later, on June 21, the department was dispatched to a report of a woman that had given birth prematurely. Firefighter/EMT Chris Hann and Volunteer Lieutenant Jake Lawlor responded and found a lifeless infant in the tub. Additional personnel from Fairview responded along with Advanced Life Support from Mobile Life Support Services. The crew attempted to resuscitate the newborn and efforts continued once onboard the Mobile Life ambulance en route to the hospital.
The firefighter/EMTs at the residence worked to stabilize the baby’s mother and transported her to the hospital in Fairview’s ambulance. Both the mother and baby survived the ordeal. As a result of their work, Lieutenant Robert Ridley, and Firefighter/EMTs Christopher Hann, Jake Lawlor, Joe Tompkins, and Kevin Schmitt were awarded the Unit Citation.
At Tuesday’s recognition meeting, Melissa Lawlor, Dutchess County’s “EMS Educator of the Year” was in the audience. She was there to watch her son Jake being honored for saving the premature baby. The proud mother is also a mid-wife and was beaming with pride as her son and his colleagues were given the citations. Lawlor said that her son’s actions were the result of the great training provided by both Fairview and throughout Dutchess County.
The mid-wife also joked that her son used the knowledge gained at home to save the baby.
Karran Grecco, a resident of Greene County recalled an incident last year in Poughkeepsie in which Fairview firefighters saved her as she suffered a diabetic emergency. Grecco told MidHudsonNews.com that “the Fairview firefighters saved my life and they are nothing short of amazing.”
