Fairfield First Responders Who Saved Man's Life Receive Honor

FAIRFIELD, CT — Several Fairfield first responders were honored this week for actions they took earlier in the summer to save a man’s life.

Hartford HealthCare recognized the emergency personnel Wednesday, according to a Facebook post from the Fairfield Fire Department, which noted the honorees received a special challenge coin for their actions. Those who were recognized included Lt. Patrick Barry, firefighter Justin Crawford, firefighter Ed Walsh, Officer Felix Gonzalez, and telecommunicators Lynn Erazmus and Jennifer DiJoseph.

“Had it not been for the quick, decisive, and seamless actions of everyone involved in this incident, the outcome could have been very different,” the Facebook post said.

The incident occurred just before 11:30 a.m. June 29, when dispatchers received a 911 call about an unresponsive man on Mill Plain Road, according to the Facebook post. DiJoseph sent firefighters to the scene and continued to gather information from the caller, while Erazmus realized police were nearby and dispatched Gonzalez, who found the man inside a vehicle seconds later.

With the help of a bystander, Gonzalez removed the man from the vehicle and started chest compressions. Minutes after that, Barry, Walsh and Crawford arrived and continued life-saving care, with the help of a defibrillator and cardiac compression device. The man received four electrical shocks as the responders waited for an ambulance.

The man was rushed to St. Vincent’s Medical Center, and underwent surgery before returning home to his family after a brief hospital stay.