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Public Employee Press
Life Savers Mayor
honors EMS heroes as rescuers meet with those whose lives they saved.
By ALFREDO ALVARADO Jada Colon was only 20 months old when she choked
on a piece of candy, turned dark blue and fell unconscious in the arms of her
mother, Elba Arroyo. Emergency Medical Technicians Manuel Baez and Tania Martinez,
members of Local 2507, rushed to the Bronx building with Firefighters from Engine
Company 50. They removed the obstruction from Jadas throat, but
Martinez saw that Jada had no pulse and immediately administered cardio-pulmonary
resuscitation. Within minutes Jadas skin returned to normal and she began
breathing as she returned from the doors of death. Elba Arroyo and her
daughter were reunited May 18 with the heroes who gave Jada a second chance at
life. Their dramatic story was one of many that were shared by victims and rescuers
at the 12thannual Second Chance Brunch sponsored by the Emergency
Medical Service Bureau of the city Fire Dept. The event was part of the
departments celebration of EMS Week, which also saw 15 EMS professionals
honored for their bravery and lifesaving efforts. Events like this showcase
the gratifying results of the hard work and professionalism of the DC 37 members
in the Fire Department, said Tom Eppinger, president of Uniformed EMS Officers
Local 3621. At the brunch in Brooklyns MetroTech Café, Fire
Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta paid tribute to the union members heroic
efforts. They have a job to do and they do it better than anyone,
he said. They are the best trained staff in the country. He noted
the incredibly rapid response time of EMS workers, currently down to six minutes
and 32 seconds. New Yorks best were there when they were
needed most, said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. He pointed out that 911 operators,
who belong to Local 1549, received 26,000 calls in less than six months last year.
On Medal Day, May 17, the Fire Dept. honored union members including EMT
Robert M. Brzezinski, who evacuated families from a burning Bronx building before
Firefighters arrived; EMTs Andrew J. DeSantis and Merisa A. Simons, who fought
valiantly amid jet fuel fumes to save the victims of a Coney Island plane crash;
Lt. Barry A. Travis, Paramedic Carlos A. Lizcano and Paramedic Gary S. Smiley,
who rescued a woman from the fourth floor of a smoke-filled building in Brooklyns
Fort Greene; and EMT Randy Holland, who cleared bystanders away from a huge Bronx
fuel spill that soon blew up. The highest honor, the Christopher J. Prescott
Medal, went to EMT Stephen A. Smith, who without protective gear returned three
times to the basement of a flame-engulfed building to bring out three elderly
people. We are extremely proud of these fine officers, said
Patrick Bahnken, president of Uniformed EMTs and Paramedics Local 2507. | |