BINGHAMTON – Hundreds of people gathered Thursday at the Binghamton Holiday Inn Arena for the 2nd annual American Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast to honor a number of groups and individuals for their heroic and – in several cases – life-saving actions. Among those recognized at the event were members of the Otselic Valley Fire Department Emergency Squad, six-year-old Sherburne resident Micayla Race and Bainbridge-Guilford Central School District Registered Nurse Kelly Cirigliano.
South Otselic EMT Squad Captain Barbara Graves, EMT members Thomas Larkin and George Littlejohn and Fire Police member Lyne’ Littlejohn received the Real Heroes Fire Rescue Award for their heroic efforts on a cold night in January of 2010, according to South Otselic Fire Chief Jeff Hathaway, who nominated the crew for the award.
That evening, Graves, Larkin and the Littlejohns responded to an extreme medical situation involving a 24-year-old male who’d suffered a life-threatening injury, said Hathaway. Able to provide only basic life support, the team didn’t hesitate, using all of their abilities to keep the young man alive for over 40 minutes while awaiting the arrival of an Advanced Life Support helicopter out of Marcellus to arrive.
“In my 30 years as assistant chief and chief I’ve never seen anything like it, they did a great job and you can’t beat their dedication,” said Hathaway of the group. “The helicopter crew marveled that the young man was still alive when they got there. It was a high stress situation and they really went above and beyond what’s expected of basic EMTs, as far as I’m concerned.”
New York Central Mutual Vice President of Underwriting Mike Perrino presented the group of local heroes with the award and commended them for their courage and the extraordinary act of bravery. He added he has a true appreciation for a group that exemplifies the meaning of selfless giving.
“We didn’t do anything extraordinary, in our minds,” stated Larkin, a member of the squad for nearly a decade. “When we got to the scene it was a little crazy, but we did what we were trained to do.”
Graves agreed and said that situations such as the one the group faced that night call one’s training into action.
“The training kicked-in,” stated Graves, who’s fielded approximately 80 percent of all emergency calls since she joined the team. “Sometimes you just don’t think twice, it’s instinct. We did what needed to be done.”
Littlejohn – now a member of the Smyrna Emergency Squad – added that he’d like to think the team reacted as anyone would have, put in the same situation.
Six-year-old Micayla Race received the Real Heroes Youth Good Samaritan Award for her actions on Sept. 23, 2010. On that day, Race’s mother, Cathy, suffered a severe asthma attack and lost consciousness. Without panicking, the young girl dialed 911, gave the dispatcher the necessary information to get help on the way and followed the dispatcher’s instructions. Throughout the ordeal, Race remained calm, going so far as to take charge of her little brother when emergency personnel arrived on the scene.
On Nov. 2, 2010, school nurse Kelly Cirigliano’s quick actions saved the life of a student who experienced a heart arrhythmia, which then led to cardiac arrest. Without delay, she began performing CPR and assisted with the automated external defibrillator. Thanks to Cirigliano’s efforts, the student is alive and well today, and will graduate in June.
“We are really thrilled to honor people who were prepared for situations they didn’t expect and the truth of the matter is they stepped forward when they could have stepped back,” said Southern Tier American Red Cross Regional CEO Cynthia Gordineer of the gathered honorees. “Heroes walk around us every day performing amazing acts in the community. We had a chance today to see the very best of humanity.”
The Real Heroes Breakfast was established as a way to recognize the ordinary people who make life-saving decisions and whose actions reflect the mission of the American Red Cross. For more information visit www.redcross.org.