After a Connecticut man passed away while trying to clear his roof of snow, brave and helpful first responders finished the job for his family.
According to CBS6, first responders in Manchester, Connecticut, received a call that Miroslaw Dobrowski, a 57-year-old resident attempting to shovel snow from his roof, was having a heart attack. The responders arrived at the scene to find the man unconscious, still on the roof. They immediately started doing CPR on the roof in attempts to save Dobrowski's life. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they were not able to save him and he perished at the hospital, reported the source.
After witnessing the heartbreaking scene, the first responders knew they wanted to do something to help Dobrowski's family. The Hartford Courant reported that police officers Bernie Hallums, Adam Desso and Tomacz Kaczerski, along with local firefighters and medics, returned to the home later that day and finished shoveling off the roof.
"He would be very appreciative that someone was looking out for his family. We are all grateful to them," Teresa Dobrowski, Miroslaw's wife, told the Hartford Courant.
When the first responders of Henrico County, Virginia, heard 3-year-old Tommy Opperman's story, they knew they wanted to make his Christmas extra special.
According to WFSB, the little boy has experienced an incredible amount of loss in his short life. Two years ago he survived an accident that proved fatal for his mother. Tommy was being raised by his single father, Erik, a 44-year-old volunteer firefighter, until he unexpectedly passed from a heart attack only a few weeks ago. When local police officer Doug Trammell responded to the emergency call and realized that Tommy would be facing a life without his parents, he wanted to make sure the young child at least had a chance at a good Christmas.
According to WTVR, Trammell spread the word about Tommy's situation to other first responders, who raised $15,000. The money was given to Gretchen Miller, his aunt and now guardian, so she could purchase plenty of presents for both Tommy and his cousins, and save some toward his future. Miller also purchased clothes and household items for Tommy, who now lives with her family.
"We're going to re-start his life and have some fun," Miller told WTVR.
Scott Schuelke, a retired police officer from Michigan, has a new mission: To educate first responders on how to properly interact with people who have an autism spectrum disorder.
According to the Associated Press, the former Lansing police sergeant now works for the Autism Alliance of Michigan as an autism safety specialist. He hosts seminars and training workshops to educate law enforcement officials about the disorders, which typically involve social and language barriers. Schuelke wants first responders to be able to effectively interact with autistic people they may encounter on the job or elsewhere in their lives.
The source noted that the former cop served on the force for 25 years. In his new role, he has hosted over 300 seminars and educated almost 10,000 people throughout the nation, just within the past three years.
Many cops who have experienced the training seminars feel that the information was extremely helpful. Often, they think back to situations where they had a hard time getting through to someone and realize that person was probably on the autism spectrum. If only they had had the proper communication resources, things could have gone a lot smoother. Some of Schuelke's students have children with autism, and they appreciate the skills they learned from the helpful seminars.
According to the Autism Alliance of Michigan, Schuelke covers a variety of topics throughout his training sessions. He focuses on risks that are close to home, such as people with autism wandering away – particularly to dangerous bodies of water – or having access to toxins. School risks are also highlighted, particularly the effects that bullying can have on someone dealing with autism and the potential for injury.
"The more we know about autism, then the better service that we can provide," stated seminar participant Mark Boody.
Lt. John Pritchard was recently inducted into the Hall of Heroes at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. The World War II pilot, who perished in 1942, graduated from the institution in 1938.
According to Military Times, Pritchard served the Coast Guard on assignments in Greenland. He was doing war-time patrols on a cutter of the coast of the nation when a U.S. Air Force B-17 crashed on an icy tundra. The crew lived but were stranded. Pritchard successfully found the group and rescued two passengers, bringing them back to his ship. The following day, he and a colleague volunteered to return for the remaining stranded soldiers. It was during this second trip that the aircraft exploded shortly after takeoff, killing all three men inside.
A week before this fatal journey, Pritchard had successfully saved members of the Royal Canadian Air Force from an icy death during a dangerous mission. The award ceremony on Friday, Nov. 7, primarily focused on this outstanding accomplishment, noted Military Times. The late servicemember's sister attended the tribute, which included Pritchard's name being added to a wall of honorable Coast Guard members.
According to Fox News, this recognition of Pritchard's heroism came about after an initiative was launched to recover the aircraft he died in, which is currently in a glacier. In 2010, the Coast Guard, in collaboration with a private contractor, picked up signals on radar of what they thought was the plane wreck and were able to take pictures through ice to confirm the location of the aircraft. When crews returned to the glacier this summer, however, they were not able to find any signs of the plane. Officials, while discouraged, have not given up on someday bringing the remains home.
"It's safe to say the case is not closed," Cmdr. Brian Glander, the chief of the Office of Aviation Forces at Coast Guard headquarters, told Fox News.
The Department of Defense issued a statement on Oct. 30 declaring it would be training more medical workers to handle domestic Ebola cases.
Currently, there is one 30-person team comprised of Army, Air Force and Navy public health specialists. The group, which was hand-picked for related experience and skill level, recently received infectious disease training at the San Antonio Military Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, according to Military Times. Their role will be to arrive at medical centers treating Ebola patients no later than 72 hours after a confirmed diagnosis. They will help take care of the infected people while instructing the hospital's staff on proper protocol.
The training focused primarily on identifying and treating Ebola while containing the virus and stopping it from spreading. Since the only people to have caught the virus within the U.S. were medical workers treating an infected patient, training health professionals on the proper handling and disposal techniques is the military's top priority.
According to USA Today, the DoD is creating more Ebola-fighting teams in anticipation of requests from the Department of Health and Human Services, which wants to be prepared with plenty of qualified medical professionals in the event of increased U.S. diagnoses.
Massachusetts firefighters were recognized for their bravery during a ceremony at Boston's John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
According to WCVB, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Public Safety Secretary Andrea Cabral presented 22 awards to the honorees, who came from 10 communities in the state. Some of the prestigious awards they distributed included two Norman Knight Awards for Excellence in Community Service, one to the organizers of the Regional Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) Program in Amherst and one to a firefighter who implemented a senior version of the program in Lunenburg.
A special portion of the ceremony was dedicated to honoring two Boston firefighters who perished fighting a nine-alarm fire in the spring. Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh Jr. and firefighter Michael R. Kennedy were posthumously given Medals of Honor, accepted on their behalf by their families, reported the Boston Globe. Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph E. Finn presented the medals, describing the outstanding courage displayed by the two men.
The Boston Globe noted that a father-son team from Abington, Massachusetts, also received an award for preventing the explosion of a propane tank. Jarrod Driscoll was off-duty when he saw the tank start burning but rushed to action nonetheless. After assessing the situation, he called in his father, Michael, who arrived with backup to diffuse the potentially fatal situation.
First responders in the Twin Cities are implementing increased security practices following the recent increase in U.S. cases.
According to the Star Tribune, all emergency medical services in the region are now equipped with infectious-disease kits that specialize in stopping the spread of bodily fluids. They have also started screening for Ebola risk at the start of every medical emergency, asking callers about fevers, symptoms and international travel history. If any of these answers point to a possible risk of Ebola, a small crew wearing appropriate hazardous materials is dispatched to assess the situation.
The Sun Herald noted that the region is familiar with infectious diseases. First responders in the area deal with tuberculosis, Lassa fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome and SARS on a regular basis, and are well-versed in procedures that prevent the spread of contagious viruses.
The Star Tribune reported that although these practices have been fully implemented, they have been rather quiet about the new protocols, as to avoid inducing unnecessary panic. Officials stress that Ebola preparations are simply a precaution and that there has not yet been a real threat to the region.
A tugboat operator sailing off the coast of Miami called officials after seeing people holding onto debris in the water.
Local authorities immediately called in the area's fire and Coast Guard crews for backup, reported CBS Miami. According to the source, the original call cited three people clutching debris, but when help arrived it turned out to be nine people in severe condition. They were Cuban migrants attempting to make their way to Florida.
A helicopter pulled the people out of the water. After a medical evaluation, three of the rescued were immediately taken to local hospitals, noted Fox News Latino. According to CBS Miami, the people had been stranded in the water on a small raft for 10 days before it fell apart on Sunday, Oct. 26. Some of the original passengers are still missing.
According to CBS Miami, the Coast Guard crews acted swiftly and effectively to help the struggling people.
Lieutenant Eric Lowd of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told CBS, "We train all the time for this and practice for safety and rescues and this went well. It feels good to be part of this and I hope they have a fruitful life."
The first person to test positive for Ebola in New York City was diagnosed Thursday, Oct. 23.
According to NBC New York, Dr. Craig Spencer had just returned to the U.S. from West Africa, where he was helping to treat Ebola patients with the organization Doctors Without Borders.
Spencer felt fine during his return home Oct. 17. Upon flying into John F. Kennedy International Airport, he underwent careful screening. Showing no signs of Ebola, he was cleared. While he did not participate in voluntary quarantining for the virus' incubation period of 21 days, he took his own temperature twice a day, reported NBC New York.
When he woke up feeling sick with a high temperature on the morning of Oct. 23, he immediately called 911.
Medical first responders followed protocol and quickly transported the patient to Bellevue Hospital, where he will remain in a specially constructed isolated Ebola ward.
According to The New York Times, police officers are actively working to identify Spencer's recent locations. They have been screening his metro card as well as his credit cards in order to know exactly where he traveled in the days leading up to his diagnosis.
NBC New York noted that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised first responders for their outstanding actions during the medical emergency.
New England experienced heavy rain this past week, which contributed to high surf along the coast of Maine. The conditions proved dangerous for boaters and led to many incidents requiring the help of the state's Coast Guard.
According to WMTW 8, a 35-foot sailboat with no passengers on board was moved by high winds, causing it to run aground. The masts got caught on power lines connected to Southern Maine Community College. While the school experienced power outages, Coast Guard members were able to recover the boat and no serious damage occurred. WABI TV5 reported that a number of other sailboats with nobody on board have floated away from their set locations as well and were recovered near Peaks Island and Owls Head.
Coast Guard officials, assisted by Customs and Border Protection agents who were called in for backup, also rescued a man who was seen grasping onto a small skiff, headed toward the Roosevelt International Memorial Bridge, which connects Lubec, Maine, to Canada. According to WMTW 8, the passenger was immediately rushed to the hospital and is fine despite sustaining minor injuries.