Off duty first responders save woman's life in Chestertown

Warren County, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A group of mostly volunteer first responders saved a woman’s life in Chestertown yesterday. Around 3 P.M. Warrensburg EMS were dispatched to Chestertown after an elderly female fell into her pool, and was laying on the pool liner. Both Warrensburg EMS, and North Warren EMS were already responding to multiple calls. That’s when three off duty EMTs responded. 

“Yesterday kind of worked out to be a perfect storm,” said Lieutenant Jodi Bartlett. 

For many first responders, like Bartlett, days off are never truly off the clock. Responding to the call is like second nature. She jumps in her car, flicks on the lights, and is off running to help. 

“I left my house, drove to the scene, I was the first one there” Bartlett explained. ” She was on top of the pool liner, but she was starting to slip in the water. Her head was pretty close to going underneath the cover, so I knew that we had to do something to keep her above the water. So I jumped in the pool, got behind her, held her up above the above the water, while the rest of the fire department got there. We pulled her up out of the pool, got her dry, kept her warm, and then the ambulance got there and transported her down.”

The Chestertown Fire Department also responded to the incident.

“Lieutenant Bartlett was with us, so she ran and I ran with her to go get the woman out” said second Lieutenant of Cooperstown fire, Colin Brayton. “And when I turned around, the life jackets and the rope and all that from right there. So it was a quick recovery.”

Both departments say that there is a lack of staffing and resources, nationwide, and they urge anyone interested to reach out. 

“Resources get depleted pretty quickly” said Lieutenant Jodi Bartlett. “We cover a large geographical area here and we’re very thankful we have first responders that will come out when they hear calls, combination of paid and volunteer staff.”

The Cooperstown Fire Chief, Derin Harvey, explained the staffing concerns.

“A lot of people work out of the area here at night, but a lot of times during the day we’re short” Chief Harvey noted. “All the departments in the area are struggling for manpower statewide.”

Helping the community is not new to Chestertown Fire. Recently, they began a new program installing AEDs in local businesses, and instructing them on usage.

“When it comes to cardiac arrest, every minute counts, every second counts” said Chief Harvey. “So the longer you wait, the less your chance of survival. So if the waitress can grab one off the wall, before fire and EMS get there, and start CPR and first aid, that increases the patient’s survival chances.”

Harvey said that as he goes on his 29th year of serving the community, it’s a privilege, and something he encourages others to do as well.

“It’s turned into a family, a brotherhood,” said Harvey. “It’s a feeling of success when you’re helping people. It’s not about, you know, driving the big red truck all the time or the ambulance, it’s about helping our communities.”

Second Lieutenant Brayton says his path to firefighting started with his family.

“My grandfather was in Hudson Falls Fire back when it was paid, and then my uncle joined and it just trickled down from there, so it’s in my blood” said Brayton.

If you’re interested in learning more about the AED program, or volunteering for Warren County Fire or EMS Departments, they encourage you to reach out.