Emergency Responders Save Tewksbury Resident's Life

TEWKSBURY, MA — Emergency responders worked together to help save the life of a Tewksbury resident who suffered an emergency, according to a joint statement.

The Northern Middlesex Regional Emergency Communications Center received a call Dec. 23 at 2:55 p.m. reporting that a 64-year-old man at a home in Tewksbury was unresponsive and not breathing.

The emergency dispatcher, Rebecca Maccaro, provided the 911 caller — the patient's daughter — with emergency medical dispatch instructions over the phone.

Officer Ryan Sheehan arrived at the home a short while later and found the daughter performing CPR. He took over efforts to provide CPR.

Blake Hery, an off-duty firefighter and EMT, was in the area and saw Sheehan run into the home. He stopped to assist as well, taking over CPR efforts.

A Tewksbury fire crew of Lieut. Marc Bourdon and firefighters Jake Brothers and Kyle Maga arrived a short time later, providing CPR and using an automated external defibrillator.

Paramedics and a Tewksbury ambulance staffed by firefighters Justin Hubbard and Paul Mugford then arrived to take over care. The patient regained a pulse and began breathing. Crews then took the patient to Lowell General Hospital.

The patient's family has since contacted the agencies involved to report that the patient is in good health and recovering well.

"I’m grateful for the lifesaving efforts of Officer Ryan Sheehan, the Tewksbury Fire Department, and the Dispatchers who all worked together to save this mans life," Police Chief Ryan Columbus said in a statement. "It gives me great comfort in knowing that our emergency response system is comprised of highly trained and proficient individuals."