Firefighter/Paramedics Lauded For Quick Thinking, Life-Saving Efforts

BRANFORD, CT — The Yale New Haven Hospital Center for EMS praised Branford Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedics Jeff Larsen Jr., Thomas Wrede, Mike Olejarczyk, and Tyler Mahoney for "extraordinary" work on a recent medical emergency call.

On Jan. 3, firefighters were dispatched to a home for a person suffering chest pain. When firefighter paramedics got there, their "assessment revealed that the patient was having a myocardial infarction."

"Their quick recognition, activation of the cath-lab, and care allowed for a great outcome," it was noted. "The patient received a cardiac stent and was discharged home a few days later."

Branford Fire Department Chief Thomas Mahoney told Patch that not only are these citations an important recognition for firefighter-paramedics, but in the cases of cath-lab activation at Yale New Haven Hospital, "In critical medical emergencies, time is a most important consideration."

"It can mean the difference between continuing a normal healthy life or becoming disabled or worse," Mahoney said. "During an event such as a heart attack, the rapid prehospital treatment by paramedics and early activation of the Cath lab has proven to be effective in preventing life altering or life-threatening outcomes."

You are in very good hands, Branford.