The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Earlville firefighters save woman’s life
Earlville Fire Department tend to woman after heart attack
When a day of celebration and pageantry turned tragic, oneMadison County volunteer fire department met the call, saving a woman’s life.
For that act of heroism, the Madison County Emergency Office has recognized the Earlville Volunteer Fire Department, commending the group for its life-saving action, as part of the “Madison County Heroes” campaign to increase volunteer participation across the county.
On June 4, members of the EFD saved the life a woman who went into cardiac arrest during the annual Sherburne Pageant of Bands. Because of the nature of the celebration, a department crew was already present on-site to provide emergency response standby in the Village of Sherburne during the pageant.
During the festivities, an EFD member spotted a woman in the crowd collapse. Crews reacted immediately, beginning CPR, before a defibrillator was used to restore the patient’s pulse.
The Advanced Life Support Ambulance from Sherburne arrived shortly thereafter, and the patient was transported to the Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton, where she regained consciousness.
The Earlville Fire Department crew of John Fontaine, Mike Doyle, JimDoyle, and Jake Parsons were the critical link in beginning care for the patient along with readily available emergency services that saved a life, officials say.
The fire department is staffed by 35 active volunteer firefighters operating five pieces of fire apparatus out of one fire station just north of the MadisonChenango County line. The Village of Earlville and the Fire Protection District straddle two counties and four townships, providing for a wide variety of
riety of responses. It’s current fleet includes two Type 2 Engines, one Type 1 Tender, one Type 5 Mini Rescue, and a Type 6 Brush Truck. The fire department is led by Fire Chief John Fontaine.
The Earlville Fire Department is recognized for its dedicated community leadership and has provided fire safety education programs in the Earlville, and now Sherburne Earlville Central School District for fifty years. Their monthly meetings are the first Thursday of the month, and they have training and truck checks on Wednesday nights. Chief Fontaine was proud to mention that the members recently started train- ing on Sunday mornings following a group breakfast to accommodate those members who work weeknights.
The Madison County Emergency Management Department says this is only one example in hundreds of the value of welltrained, dedicated volunteer firefighters serving the community.
Madison County Emergency Management depart- ment said it was proud to highlight the “Earlville Fire Department” this month as part of a campaign tabbed “Madison County Heroes,” which is designed to increase awareness and recruitment in volunteer fire departments across the county.
For information about volunteer firefighter and EMS opportunities in Madison County, visit www. MadCoHeroes.com.