Five firefighters with Engine Co. 157 were honored yesterday for their heroic efforts in resuscitating an elderly Port Richmond man earlier this month.
Alas, the man later died.
Staten Island Advance Firefighter of the Month Awards for December were given to Lt. John Manzione and Firefighters Robert Cobb, Craig Sleap, Edward McVey and Robert Caputo during a morning ceremony in the firehouse.
Advance Assignment Editor James Yates presented the awards.
Manzione, for one, played down his efforts.
"This is routine for us and I feel kind of embarrassed accepting an award," he said.
Before the ceremony, the firefighters described how they fell back on their training and worked as a unit to revive the 91-year-old, who was unconscious on his bathroom floor when they arrived on the scene at 11:56 a.m. on Dec. 2.
As one firefighter assembled the necessary equipment, another performed compression on the victim's chest, while the others set up the defibrillator in case it might be needed, according to Manzione.
They were able to get a faint pulse by the time an ambulance from St. Vincent's Hospital arrived, but the man subsequently died at the West Brighton hospital.
"It was all definitely a real team effort," said Cobb, an eight-year FDNY veteran.
Sleap, a two-year veteran, said everyone felt "a real rush" when the man's pulse returned. "It's just very unusual to be able to stabilize someone that old using CPR," Manzione explained.
Michael Feminella, chief of the 21st Battalion, said firefighters have the ability to give "quick, decisive care" in dealing with heart victims. "And we're usually the first to come in contact with patients in distress," he said.
Also on hand for the awards ceremony were Deputy Chief William Tanzosh; Chief Jack Calderone of the 22nd Battalion, and Capt. Richard Scarpato, commander of Engine 157. |
