Rescue personnel saved 2 lives, delivered baby
Spotswood officials commend EMTs, police in three recent events
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD - Emergency rescue workers often go unthanked until they're needed. But if that's the case, then appreciation for them is at an all-time high.

Borough officials recently took note of three instances in particular where the actions of local first aid and police officials fell into the category of lifesaving or going above and beyond. The responders were commended with resolutions during a recent Borough Council meeting.

Spotswood EMTs Todd Servis, Douglas Servis and Shane Rebele managed to save the life of East Brunswick resident William Baily on July 23 outside the Spotswood Diner, Snowhill Street. When they arrived, the three found Baily unconscious in his car with no pulse and no respiration.

Rebele began giving Baily CPR to clear his airway, and a defibrillator was also applied. Baily regained consciousness and was stabilized and taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center.

Rebele was commended with a resolution for his lifesaving actions.

"Whereas this courageous action in averting what could have been a tragic loss of life and would have been a tragic loss to family, friends and community, was an act of heroism, which deserves special recognition by the mayor and council," the borough's resolution states.

On Nov. 20, 2005, a similar incident occurred when EMS and police personnel responded to a 911 call on Gary Court and found resident Charles Egan unresponsive and in cardiac arrest. EMTs Douglas Servis, Jennifer Ryan and Earl Wilson, assisted by Patrolman John Pfeiffer, gave Egan CPR and established an airway, according to a letter from Leo Servis, EMS director, who said a defibrillator was also attached.

However, no heart rhythm was established.

Aggressive CPR continued as Egan was being transported to the hospital in an ambulance, and he then began to have a pulse and "very shallow respirations," Servis wrote.

Egan was then turned over to paramedics and ultimately treated at Raritan Bay, spending several weeks in critical care, according to Servis. He was eventually released and is still alive and slowly recuperating, Servis' letter to the council said.

"He even found time to stop at Spotswood EMS to thank the crew and make a donation to the squad," he wrote.

"It is only because of the aggressive treatment and actions of all involved that Mr. Egan is alive and with his family today," the letter said. "This is truly a heroic gesture that must be recognized."

Also in November, responders delivered a baby in the rear of an ambulance.

EMS workers responded to a home on Nicholas Court for a report of a woman in labor. EMTs Douglas Servis and Louis Sarti, who is also a borough police officer, had the expecting mother secured in an ambulance to be expedited to Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick.

But the baby couldn't wait. While traveling on Summerhill Road at about 12:50 p.m., Servis and Sarti delivered "a healthy baby girl."

Both the baby and her mother were taken to Saint Peter's in good health, according to Leo Servis.

Douglas Servis and Sarti were congratulated in the council's resolution.

"Far too often, many of our emergency medical personnel are overlooked for the noble deeds that they perform for people in the community," the mayor and council wrote in the resolution.

Council President Curtis Stollen said the public feels it is well-protected, and lifesaving incidents like this reinforce that notion.

In such emergencies, he said, what matters isn't just how qualified the responder is, but how quickly they can get to the victim.