First Responders 2018

A SALUTE TO

FIRST RESPONDERS Honoring those on the front lines of serving their communities

A special supplement to the PRESS-REPUBLICAN • Friday, May 25, 2018

24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICES When Things Get Tough, The tough Get Ready!

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018

A SALUTE TO

FIRST RESPONDERS Honoring those on the front lines of serving their communities

CONTENTS A thank you from the Press-Republican ....................................................... 3 The first, first responders: 911 Dispatchers ................................................... 4 Balancing work, friends, family and self: Life of a Firefighter .................... 6 ‘They’re dying from this’: Heroin Overdose .................................................. 8 A stressful, yet rewarding career: Being a Policeman ................................. 10 Answering emergency medical calls: Our EMT’s .......................................12 Helping our Heroes: How to support Emergency Responders .................15

A publication of the

Press-rePublican

fire smoke water mold call now at 518-561-0610

Teah Dowling Special Publications Coordinator tdowling@pressrepublican.com

Contributing Writers Teah Dowling Tim Lyman Josh Miner

Original Photography by Teah Dowling Tim Lyman

Questions? Comments? email tdowling@pressrepublican.com or call 518-565-4183

Friday, May 25, 2018

A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Thank You. The Press-Republican, its employees and its advertisers would like to extend our deep gratitude to the first responders that work tirelessly every day to protect our communities. Your hard work and dedication are a big part of what make the North Country such a wonderful place to live, work and play.

We thank you for keeping our friends, neighbors and loved ones safe.

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018

The first, first responders:

911 Dispatchers Dispatchers from the Clinton County Office of Emergency Services give an inside look into call center operations

By Teah Dowling

A

woman called 911 begging for help as her husband threatened to kill himself in front of her and their children.

Clinton County Dispatch Supervisor Craig Scholl answered the call and, soon after, heard a gunshot.

"I will never forget that day," he said, reminiscing about the event that happened over 20 years ago. "I wonder how they're doing now, and I wonder how they coped.

"That's the one downfall. I can't make a follow-up call."

Craig Scholl Dispatch Supervisor

Continued on page 5

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018 Continued from page 4

NEVER ROUTINE Scholl works for the Clinton County Office of Emergency Services — the place where all 911 calls in Clinton County are answered 24-7 by a team of nine full-time and six part-time employees.

He first came aboard at the Dispatch Center part-time in 1986 after serving two years as a volunteer firefighter with Dannemora Volunteer Fire Department. He switched over to full time in 1988 and was promoted to his current position in 2001.

"I've always been intrigued with dispatch operations," Scholl said. "I loved the idea of being the first, first responder."

The Dispatch Center not only relays emergencies to EMS services, fire departments and police departments, but environmental services, Child Protective Services, the Clinton County Health Department and more.

Employees learn something new every day, according to Eric Day, emergency services director and South Plattsburgh Fire Department assistant chief.

"There's nothing routine about this job, as something new happens every day."

WOULDN'T STOP RINGING The Dispatch Center answers, on average, 250 calls a day. However, earlier this month when windstorms left thousands without power, emergency personnel received almost 1,000 calls within a 48-hour time frame.

"The phone just wouldn't stop ringing," Day said.

According to Clinton County Office of Emergency Services records, the Dispatch Center received 22,707,911 calls in 2017. As of May 11 this year, that number was 8,530.

If the dispatchers' families call 911, Day said, they can't go to their rescue — only call for help.

"We spend our days meeting the needs of everyone," he said. "If something goes wrong (in their own lives), all we can do is hope everything is OK until our shift is done.

"It can make things very stressful."

ADDED PRESSURES Dispatchers also receive numerous abandoned 911 calls from people who call the Dispatch Center and then hang up.

Some are dropped calls made from almost undeliverable areas, said Day, while others can be pocket dials, play calls from children or pranks.

The dispatchers often try to call back the number several times to reach someone who could potentially be in danger. If no one can be contacted, the team turns to other sources before ultimately ruling it out as an abandoned 911 call.

Last year, the center got 2,597 abandoned 911 calls. As of May 11, they'd received 1,137, according to Emergency Services records — and that adds stress, too.

The pressures of the job have caused employees, among them Scholl, to need blood pressure medication.

Despite the anxieties, both Scholl and Day stay.

"With this job, you're on stage and ready to help," Scholl said. "Being able to be part of a team and help people is very rewarding."

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018

Balancing work, friends, family and self

Life of a Firefighter Local volunteer and career firefighters share the benefits and challenges of keeping the community safe from harm

By Josh Miner

O

ne of the most selfless acts a person can commit is to risk their life to help someone else. Not only are firefighters ready to lay their life on the line at a moment’s notice, many do it solely because it’s their life’s mission to serve their community.

Gregory Poupore, 46 of Churubusco, grew up four houses from a fire station. He would see fire engines drive by his home constantly, inspiring him to do his part by joining the Churubusco Volunteer Fire Department as soon as be turned 18.

“Being from a small community, most of my friends, older peers and relatives belonged to the fire department,” Poupore said, adding that his wife is also a member of the department. “You feel obligated at this point. Being a small community, you don’t get a lot of new members. We don’t have a lot of young people in the area.”

Chris Williams, 42, has been a career firefighter for 18 years for the City of Plattsburgh Fire Department, working at Station 2. After nearly two decades, he still gets excited about coming in to work.

“The fact you get to come to work and drive a fire truck, you feel like a big kid,” he said. “It’s a nice feeling to do something you enjoy.”

Williams said the station has become his second home, and his colleagues his second family. Working 24 hour shifts, you have all the responsibilities you would have at your own house, including cooking, cleaning and everything else that goes with maintaining your home.

“There’s a brotherhood here, and a family,” he said.

Jason Cramer, 22, began volunteering as a junior firefighter at age 13, serving with the Quaker Street Volunteer Fire Department for nearly eight years in Delanson, New York. When he moved to the area for college, he was able to transfer to District 3 Volunteer Fire Department through a program at Plattsburgh State. Last year, Cramer was recognized for his dedication and service to the area when he was awarded the Rookie of the Year Award for District 3.

Coming from a family of firefighters, Cramer was excited to test his skills in a bigger city. After serving an area with less than 100 calls a year, he relished the chance to be part of a community which receives over four times that amount.

“I fell in love right away,” he said.

Continued on page 7

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018 Continued from page 6

Balancing work, study and volunteering, however, presented a challenge for Cramer before graduating this May. “When I was going to college, it was really hard,” Cramer said, adding that he would often have to make snap decisions on how to prioritize his time.

“I can’t be late for work, and I can’t not study. Do I have enough leeway? At the end of the day it’s volunteer. I hope I’m putting in enough time.”

LACK OF VOLUNTEERS With the increased usage of synthetic materials causing fires to burn faster and hotter than in the past, Williams said it is crucial to have a department on call that can be on the scene in less than three minutes.

“It’s why we’re able to save as much as we save,” he said, “having guys ready to go.”

Poupore said the biggest difficulty firefighters face today is a lack of volunteers. Mandated training discourages a lot of people from joining, and many people today are too busy to make that commitment. This has caused them to increase their

reliance on other local departments. As a result, he said he feels even more responsibility to be there for his hometown and his fellow volunteers.

“Being a fireman, there is a sense of pride and camaraderie. Firemen do a lot of great things for their community,” he said. “We look out for each other in times of need.”

AN INSEPARABLE BOND When you respond to countless tragedies with the same men and women day in and day out, firefighters say a bond is forged that lasts a lifetime.

“When I’m sitting at the fire house, I look around the room and there’s not a guy or girl in the firehouse I wouldn’t reach out to in a time of crisis,” Cramer said.

Firefighters say being able to help the people you’ve known your whole life is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. However, that same sense of closeness to the community can lead to some of the most difficult experiences of their lives.

While part of the Quaker Street Volunteer Fire Department, Cramer often went on medical calls.

One call in particular, a man in his mid-60s suf-

fering from a heart attack, stands out in his mind.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be a good call,” he said, as the residence belonged to a former colleague.

After arriving on the scene, he did what he could to resuscitate the man.

“I’m working on him for 15 minutes, and I have no idea who he is,” Cramer said.

When the ambulance left, he went to talk to his former fire chief, Jim Yachler, who owned the home.

Distinguished by his trademark white beard, Cramer asked his fellow firefighters where he was.

‘That was Jim,’ was the response he heard.

“I sat in the truck and lost it,” he said. “I was crying, I was screaming.”

Yachler had just shaved his beard, leaving him unrecognizable to Cramer.

“I considered him a really good friend,” he said, adding that they shared a love of bowling.

When people call 911, it is often one of the worst moments of their life, Cramer said. The ultimate reward is knowing you were able to relieve that suffering in their greatest time of need.

“You may not feel like a hero, but to them you probably are.”

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018

‘They’re dying from this’

Heroin Overdose Local first responders talk about what it’s like to get calls for the North Country’s biggest epidemics

By Tim Lyman

I

t's tough, when Brett Eney is treating a patient for an overdose, to see how that person's loved ones react.

“You look over, and you see their family, and you see the child that's there, crying, 'Mommy, Mommy' or 'Daddy, Daddy,'” said the Advanced EMT/ Critical Care responder with the City of Plattsburgh Fire Department.

“They don't know you're trying to save them. There's blood everywhere from doing IVs or multiple other things that can go on; you can be pumping on their chest from doing chest compressions.”

ALMOST DAILY The opioid epidemic is a publichealth issue across the nation, and it's one Eney and others in his department see in the form of overdoses more and more often.

“You never know what you're going to encounter,” he said. “There are needles on the floor, and the person's lying down, and you have to manage (patient care) through all the hazards to yourself.”

Often the room has an aroma reminiscent of an old, musty bar, Eney said.

But he was careful to note that the issue is not unique to a lower socioeconomic class, and overdoses happen at upscale homes with perfectly manicured lawns, as well.

As jarring as these scenes can be, he's learned an important lesson: You have to have a thick skin.

Continued on page 9

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“You would not be able to function if you let it bother you,” said Eney, who said his wife sometimes jokes that he's “impervious to death,” as much of his work life, as it relates to opioid overdoses, is centered around bringing people back from the brink.

“It's almost a daily occurrence.”

NARCAN The Plattsburgh City Police Department also works to fight against the opioid epidemic.

Notification of an overdose could come through a 911 call, an officer's observation or a medical call. In addition, officers gathering information reach out to witnesses, City Police Capt.

Brad Kiroy said.

“If it's a true overdose, and we have indication that it's an opioid overdose, our officers are equipped with Narcan,” he said.

Narcan is the brand name for naloxone, a medication that can be injected or used as a nasal spray to reverse the effects of opioids during an

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018

overdose, and it is widely regarded among health professionals as an important tool to help save lives of addicts.

overdosing, and it's a matter of their life, it could be fear of prosecution stopping someone from calling 911 and saving this person's life.”

GOOD SAMARITAN LAW In 2017, Kiroy said, the Plattsburgh Police Department responded to 43 confirmed overdoses, not all of which involved opioids. Narcan was administered in 12 of them. Three of the 43 cases proved fatal.

Those figures only included calls responded to by his department, Kiroy said, and there were many more involving response from EMT of CVPH or other agencies.

As of May 15, City Police had responded to 19 overdose calls in 2018.

“It does often become an investigation into the use of illegal substances,” Kiroy said.

City Police officers are well-versed in the good Samaritan law, which absolves people of criminal liability for notifying the proper authorities when there's a drug overdose, he added.

“The whole premise behind this is to take away some of that fear,” he said. “When someone is

14 POUNDS OF NEEDLES Kiroy said opioid addiction doesn't discriminate; it hits every socioeconomic class. It’s a multifaceted issue, he continued, and the solution isn't as simple as some would believe.

“This is a medical issue; this is a mental-health issue," he said. "This is a criminal issue.

“You can't arrest your way out of this. This particular crisis is going to take cooperation among many different agencies, across the entire system, to combat.”

Kiroy estimated that approximately 14 pounds of used needles were removed from needleexchange kiosks — in the period of a few months — located throughout the city.

Does the city have an opioid crisis?

“People are dying from this, and they're dying next door to us,” he said.

“They're not necessarily criminals; they're addicts, and they're dying from this, and certainly, in my mind, that's a crisis.”

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018

A stressful, yet rewarding career

Being a Policeman Local law enforcement officers share the benefits and challenges of protecting our community from danger

By Teah Dowling

A

standoff between an armed man and Plattsburgh City Police officers is an experience that Patrolman Charles "Charlie" Wolff will never forget.

The three-hour incident took place on a cold, rainy day in November near the apartments behind the Dry Dock on U.S. Avenue in Plattsburgh.

"We didn't know what we were going into, but thankfully no one was hurt," Wolff said. "That day just goes to show you that there's nothing routine about this job."

Wolff became a patrolman for Plattsburgh City Police in January 2011, moving there after a little over three years with the Clinton County Sheriff 's Office.

Yarborough Square Now, he is assigned to the Juvenile Division and works closely with children in the Plattsburgh City School District.

"It's a humbling experience being able to work with the kids," he said.

Making an impact in the community is rewarding to law enforcement officials, including University Unique Gifts Police Officer 1 Coty Cowles.

Bear Swamp Road (Rt. 442) Peru Cowles started working for the 1/4 Mile West on Exit 35 643-7057 Daily 10-6 police force at SUNY Plattsburgh in August 2016 and stopped field training in April 2017. Cowles, so far, has found the career to be very satisfying.

B O O K S "I've had several of my role models work in law enforcement, and I've always wanted to help people myself," he said. "So, this job is very exciting."

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KNOW THE RISKS Police work can be a dangerous job.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, law enforcement officers have a higher risk of incurring a work-related injury or illness than most other occupations.

On average, 115 officers suffered fatal injuries each year from 2003 to 2014; the number of nonfatal injuries each year from 2009 to 2014 averaged to over 30,000.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, there were 54 law enforcement fatalities between Jan. 1 and May 17, 2018, across the country; two of those were in New York state.

But future law enforcement officials know the risks in choosing the career path, according to Clinton County Sheriff David Favro.

"That's part of the job."

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Charles “Charlie” Wolff Patrolman, City of Plattsburgh

'IT'S AN HONOR' Favro started his career as a patrolman for the Plattsburgh City Police in July 1982. In 1989, he was

promoted to detective and stayed in that role until August 2002, when he retired. Soon after retirement, Favro ran for the office of sheriff; he was

sworn in January 2003.

He oversees more than 160 employees and about 200 inmates. He has been on lake-rescue missions and to fatal house fires. He's also been shot at.

"These are things you just do," he said. "Every day is stressful in a different way.

"You just need to find ways to keep the stress levels down."

The sheriff said his family is his biggest stress reliever. Restoring houses with his wife and feeding his interest in antique cars are two others.

Despite the stress, Favro enjoys waking up early in the morning and going to work.

"I enjoy the challenges," he said.

"It's an honor to be the sheriff of Clinton County.

"There's nothing better than going home at the end of the day knowing that you helped make your community a better place."

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A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Lee Wagner Volunteer EMT, Rouses Point

Friday, May 25, 2018

Answering 911 emergency medical calls

Our Local EMT Crews Local EMT personnel share perks, downfalls of being emergency medical technicians in Clinton County

By Tim Lyman

A

bout 9,000 emergency medical calls are made in Clinton County each year, according to the Clinton County Office of Emergency Services.

Many of those who respond are paid and/or volunteer emergency medical technicians, also known as EMTs. Meet Lee Wagner, a volunteer Rouses Point Basic EMT for the Rouses Point Volunteer Fire Department.

Many years ago, a lifeguard on Lake Erie saved the life of a drowning child. Today, that child, Wagner, is now an EMT with a goal to help people just as those in the profession years ago helped him.

Continued on page 13

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Friday, May 25, 2018 Continued from page 12

Wagner has volunteered all over the world for about 50 years — from London to Australia to the United States.

Now an EMT who also volunteers with Champlain-Mooers EMS, he still feels a responsibility to serve the people in his community and give back to those in the field who came before him.

“I really believe I'm helping the community,” said Wagner.

Not all days are that simple though.

Certain incidents stick out in his mind, such as the time he responded to a 3-year-old who had been run over by a lawn mower.

“I've been doing this a long time, and when a kid gets hurt, it just tears me to shreds,” he said.

A HARD NUMBER Advanced EMT/Critical Care Brett Eney, who works for Plattsburgh City Fire Department, has developed a thick skin over the years, due in part, to the calls that don't end happily.

“I've seen my fair share of dead people,” he said.

“Probably more so than most individuals ever care to.”

In his first years working with the department, he tried to keep count of the number of cardiac arrests, but he lost track after 100.

“It's a hard number to think about,” Eney said.

As one of the better times in his nine years with the department, he recalls a man in cardiac arrest whose heart they had to shock with a defibrillator.

“He was talking to us by the time we left him,” the EMT said.

'REELED IN' Eney said being in the medical field is “definitely a calling.”

Patricia Birkett, who's also a Basic EMT with Rouses Point Volunteer Fire Department, originally signed on to drive the ambulance, but she said she got “reeled in” to become more.

“It's my retirement project,” the Montreal native said with a chuckle. “People that I worked with go, 'Pat's doing what?'”

Advanced EMT/Critical Care Jonathan Verseput, who volunteers for the Peru Fire Department and works full-time as a critical-care nurse, said he was first motivated to pursue a

Jonathan Verseput Volunteer EMT, Peru career in emergency medical services after seeing Morrisonville EMS' response to a car accident he witnessed when he was a child.

“I watched them take apart ... the car,” said Verseput. “It was a little bit horrifying to watch, but at the same time, it's one of the things that I said I wanted to do from 8 years old.”

That event led to a 10-year tenure of volunteerism with Morrisonville EMS, the same department whose first responders he admired in his younger years.

Continued on page 14

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Continued from page 13

WILL SHAPE YOU The typical EMT will spend months with hours of logged classroom time, along with time in operating rooms and emergency rooms, and making rounds at a hospital.

Verseput said that doesn't include other hours EMT candidates must track, such as time spent studying for a state-mandated exam. And he continues to learn every day, reading material from medical journals to keep his knowledge fresh.

He and countless other EMTs don't receive a paycheck for their altruistic efforts, but for Verseput, the payoff is even greater — had he not first spent time as an EMT, he's not sure he would have gone to nursing school.

“People are appreciative, but by and large, you have to know you're doing it to be loyal, not because somebody's going to give you a pat on the back,” he said.

“Sometimes, you won't always get along with everybody in fire and EMS (service), but at the end of the day, if you do the right thing, and you're there for the right reasons, and you keep going, and you're loyal to responding and loyal to the fire service, it'll shape you.”

Eney advises those considering a career in EMS people to check it out first and keep reminding themselves of one important mantra: They are helping people.

“That's the greatest thing you can give back,” he said.

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15

A Salute to FIRST RESPONDERS

Friday, May 25, 2018

Helping our heroes:

How to support Emergency Responders

E

mergency responders, which includes the police, firefighters and paramedics who are the first to arrive at the scene of an incident, are in the business of protecting others and helping to save lives. These workers are on call during natural disasters, technological failures, terrorist attacks, and many other potentially traumatic events. Emergency responders are the unsung heroes of many communities that they work hard to keep safe and secure.

While emergency responders are heroes, it's important that people know these brave men and women sometimes need assistance, too. The pressure and stress associated with being an emergency responder can sometimes be overwhelming, and

it's times like that when emergency responders need help.

Comprehensive statistics on stress-related medical conditions among first responders are difficult to tabulate because many incidents go unreported or unshared. However, pressures of the job and post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can take its toll on paramedics and law officials. EMS World reports that, between January and September of 2014, the United States had around 58 documented fire/EMS suicides.

In Canada, 25 first responders were known to have committed suicide in a five-month period in 2014.

Addressing the stress of being an emergency responder can help responders and their families better

cope with the pressure and stress of the job. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends that all workers involved in first-responder activities should help themselves and others to reduce the risk of stress-related psychological and physical health effects from their jobs.

While there is no single method to cope with the physical and psychological demands of a first reponder's job, a combination of therapies can help. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that responders need to take care of their own health to maintain the constant vigilance they need for their own safety. These steps can put workers on the right track.

•

•

• •

• •

Form a support network in which each responder looks out for one another. Knowing support is available can be a big help.

Take frequent breaks to clear the mind and rest the body.

Try to take breaks away from a work area.

Accept what cannot be changed, such as chain of command or long hours.

Take advantage of mental health support services when they are made available. Recognize that it is not indicative of weakness to discuss difficult emotions.

Maintain a healthy eating pattern and try to get adequate sleep.

Exercise, which can reduce feelings of stress and be a healthy way to clear the mind and strengthen the body.

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Timothy Gonyo FICF, LUTCF Sales member is Recruiting killed while performing his/her member dutiesis as WoodmenLife will pay a Manager $25,000 benefit if a good-standing killedawhile 518-561-7213 performing his/her dutiesResponder. as a non-military First Responder. tgonyo@woodmen.org non-military First 1

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