Emergency Responders Go Above and Beyond in January Storm

In a winter that has brought some of the most severe weather in recent memory, the storm that began late on the night of January 11 and continued for almost two days, dumping over two feet of snow and wreaking havoc throughout the town, brought with it a number of stories of community volunteers and town employees going above and beyond for their fellow citizens.

The call went out at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, January 12, for all emergency personnel to report to their respective firehouses for standby. Despite a significant accumulation overnight and the hazardous conditions of the roads, 20 firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) reported for duty on what would turn out to be a non-stop day.

Around 11 a.m., as plows continued to work throughout the town clearing the roadways, dispatchers received an ambulance call to Laurel Drive for a man whose hand became caught in a snow blower accident.

An ambulance with three EMS attendants was sent out, however the driveway to the house was blocked in what would become a recurring theme throughout the day, as the owner had only partially finished before the accident occurred. Two fire trucks and 11 firefighters accompanied the ambulance and hand shoveled the driveway to give the EMTs access.

Fifteen minutes after that call came in, another, of a heart attack, sent the town’s second ambulance (with three EMTs) to North Obtuse Road, where they met with similar problems.

Again, 10 firemen quickly dug out the driveway by hand and were able to get to victim in time to save a life.

Around 12:30 p.m., word of a second snow blower accident came down and an ambulance team accompanied by 16 firefighters (two trucks) and the Police Department’s Polaris Ranger, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), where on scene and able to get the man to the hospital in under half an hour.

At 1:30 p.m., an ambulance was called to Richmond Road for reports of an overdose. Two fire trucks escorted the ambulance to the residence, where 20 firefighters again shoveled out the driveway so EMTs could have access to the home.

Not 15 minutes later, a second heart attack call came through, this time on North Lakeshore Drive, where once more emergency personnel were called on to make sure the ambulance got to the home and weary volunteers shoveled the driveway to the front steps.

The last call of the day came at 2:30 p.m., with reports of a man fallen through the ice just off of Arrowhead Point on Candlewood Lake. Three EMTs and 25 firefighters responded to the call and, along with help from Danbury’s ice sled, were able to get the man out and safely on solid ground.

Though there were no more emergency calls that day, 10 firefighters remained on duty to help shovel out the town’s fire hydrants, working from 6 p.m. into the evening.

All told, Brookfield’s volunteer responders worked a collective 138.5 hours over a 24-hour period.