Lynbrook firefighters honored for saving a life

Members of the Lynbrook Fire Department, along with a Nassau County paramedic were honored by the Town of Hempstead, with life-saving awards for their heroic efforts in saving a person’s life in Lynbrook on August 31.

That day, the Lynbrook Fire Department was securing from a general alarm fire call on Merrick Road when another alarm came in for a person in cardiac arrest in a vehicle parked in front of 350 Sunrise Hwy. Chief of Department John Chavatte and Third Assistant Chief Nicholas Pearsall immediately responded. Upon arrival, the chiefs saw that a County Police ambulance was already on the scene, manned by AEMT Larry Loiselle, who was in the process of placing a female patient on a stretcher, into the back of his ambulance. Lynbrook police had also arrived, as did Lieutenant James DiGiambattista of Truck Company No. 1, who arrived by car. The female at that time was in cardiac arrest.

Chavatte and Pearsall, along with DiGiambattista, immediately jumped into the back of the ambulance and performed artificial ventilations with a BVM, delivered high quality chest compressions and assisted Losielle with placing an advanced airway for the patient. Once in place, the advanced airway was used for artificial ventilations.

Captain Corey Hirsch of Lynbrook’s Emergency Medical Company arrived and entered the ambulance and connected the AED from the patient to the LifePak cardiac monitor on the ambulance to ensure that adequate CPR was being performed and that artificial respirations were being administered properly.

Losielle then gained access to the patient’s venus system by use of an Intraosseous Infusion (IO) needle placed in the patient’s leg. This allowed the administration of lifesaving cardiac medications. Hirsch relieved Pearsall and took over ventilating the patient. Under the constant care of P Loiselle, Hisrch, and DiGiambattisa, the patient was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital. While in transit, Hirsch continued to deliver ventilations; DiGiambattisa provided high quality chest compressions, and Losielle administered additional cardiac drugs.

Just before arrival at the hospital the patient started to regain a normal heart rhythm. Upon arrival, she was taken into the hospital emergency room and turned over to the hospital staff — she had a normal heart rhythm.

To date, the patient is recovering from her cardiac episode and is expected to make a full and complete recovery.