PRESS RELEASE: Trumansburg EMS Staff Awarded American Red Cross Heroes Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Two employees of the Village of Trumansburg EMS Department have been named by the American Red Cross as recipients of the American Red Cross Heroes Award for their actions on an emergency call last fall. Paramedic Joel Cadbury and EMT Anthony Whitaker will receive the award for their demonstration of the high level of care and professionalism that is the standard for Trumansburg EMS.

In September 2021, Cadbury and Whitaker responded to a call for a fallen patient. They quickly located the patient after needing to gain forcible entry to the patient’s apartment. While assessing the patient and considering likely causes of their sudden weakness and collapse, the carbon monoxide detector on the crew’s “first-in bag” went into alarm, indicating a dangerously high level of the odorless gas. Cadbury and Whitaker immediately lifted the patient by the arms and legs and performed a rescue, moving the patient out of the apartment and into the fresh air. Aggressive medical intervention ensued as the patient showed multiple symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, while simultaneously the crew notified the 911 Center and Poison Control of the danger to other residents of the building. Further care was rendered to the patient, who was transported to the hospital and eventually made a full recovery.

For their quick actions, particularly in choosing not to wait for law enforcement or the fire department before gaining access to the premises, for their quick recognition of the CO emergency at hand including the danger it posed to other residents of the building, and for the swift rendering of skilled emergency medical care that undoubtedly saved the patient’s life, Cadbury and Whitaker are receiving this prestigious award from the American Red Cross.

The award will be presented to Cadbury and Whitaker at an event on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Binghamton.