Sheriff honors 'Superstars' for saving man's life
Sheriff Craig DuMond is shown with the latest recipients of his Superstar Award at a Friday, Jan. 29, ceremony at the Delaware County Public Safety Building in Delhi. Rear, from left, are Arkville Fire Chief Robert Sweeney, Margaretville Hospital Ambulance Service supervisor Patrice Delameter, DuMond, Trooper Jared Porter, Fleischmanns Fire Chief Todd Wickham and Margaretville Fire Chief Nelson Delameter. Front, from left, are ABC Tree Service employees Nicholas Fyfe and Clayton Misner and Trooper Mitchell Reed.
DELHI — Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond honored a spate of new “Superstars” in a Friday, Jan. 29, ceremony for their role in saving the life of a man caught in a woodchipper earlier this month.
“We get these opportunities every once in a while to talk about the good things that are going on in our communities, especially by our first responders that are out there,” DuMond said. “I’m happy and proud to be able to recognize these people today.”
Nicholas Fyfe, Clayton Misner and Brian Gill, employees of ABC Tree Service in Andes, were on a job site in Margaretville when they heard their co-worker cry for help as his leg was caught in a woodchipper, DuMond said.
“Thanks to the rapid thinking and immediate actions of his co-workers and first responders that included members of the Margaretville Memorial Emergency Squad, the Margaretville, Arkville and Fleischmanns volunteer fire departments and New York State Police, that man’s leg was saved and he is now recovering from a very traumatic injury,” DuMond said.
Fyfe threw the chipper in reverse and shut the machine down, while Gill used Misner’s belt to tourniquet his co-worker’s leg, DuMond said. “Brian and Clatyon then fought to keep the victim alert and prevent him from going into shock as Nicholas called 911 to summon emergency medical assistance.”
Trooper Mitchell Reed arrived on the scene from three minutes away and employed his division-issued tourniquet, staying with the victim until he was transported to Margaretville Hospital and then Albany Medical Center.
“He was on time, and he did everything he was supposed to do,” said Reed’s supervisor, Capt. Chris Zaba, who accepted the award on behalf of New York State Police. “Obviously, it was an abnormal situation, but it was an amazing response.”
“This tragic accident certainly would have had a very different outcome if it had not been for the quick and selfless actions of the three civilians involved, as well as Trooper Reed and all of the responding volunteers and the Margaretville Memorial Hospital emergency care workers,” DuMond said.
Margaretville Fire Chief Nelson Delameter, accepting a plaque on behalf of his department, explained the need for the level of emergency response necessary in the situation.
“To many of you, three fire departments and an emergency squad may seem like overkill, but we all work together and it doesn’t matter,” he said. “Immediately upon dispatch that morning, knowing my resources were limited and not knowing whether the subject was still entangled in the machine or not, I immediately called for Arkville to respond, and under automatic mutual aid, Fleischmanns responds with that. We work like that pretty much every day. Our numbers are dwindling.”
Delameter recalled that the Margaretville Fire Department’s membership numbered close to 150 around the time that he joined, and has since dropped to about 50 members on the roster with only 12 capable of responding to an emergency.
“I don’t know where it’s going to go, but we’re trying to do the best we can,” Delameter said. “If anybody in your life has a void in their life they’re looking to fill, tell them to reach out and volunteer with an emergency squad. We certainly need it.”
“It doesn’t matter what shoulder patch we wear, what color uniform we have, or the walk of life that we come from,” DuMond said. “In Delaware County, we come together and we help each other, and this gentleman’s life was definitely saved because of that.”