BINGHAMTON – Hundreds of people gathered Thursday at the Binghamton Holiday Inn Arena for the 2nd annual American Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast to honor a number of groups and individuals for their heroic and – in several cases – life-saving actions. Among those recognized at the event were members of the Otselic Valley Fire Department Emergency Squad, six-year-old Sherburne resident Micayla Race and Bainbridge-Guilford Central School District Registered Nurse Kelly Cirigliano.
South Otselic EMT Squad Captain Barbara Graves, EMT members Thomas Larkin and George Littlejohn and Fire Police member Lyne’ Littlejohn received the Real Heroes Fire Rescue Award for their heroic efforts on a cold night in January of 2010, according to South Otselic Fire Chief Jeff Hathaway, who nominated the crew for the award.
That evening, Graves, Larkin and the Littlejohns responded to an extreme medical situation involving a 24-year-old male who’d suffered a life-threatening injury, said Hathaway. Able to provide only basic life support, the team didn’t hesitate, using all of their abilities to keep the young man alive for over 40 minutes while awaiting the arrival of an Advanced Life Support helicopter out of Marcellus to arrive.
“In my 30 years as assistant chief and chief I’ve never seen anything like it, they did a great job and you can’t beat their dedication,” said Hathaway of the group. “The helicopter crew marveled that the young man was still alive when they got there. It was a high stress situation and they really went above and beyond what’s expected of basic EMTs, as far as I’m concerned.”
New York Central Mutual Vice President of Underwriting Mike Perrino presented the group of local heroes with the award and commended them for their courage and the extraordinary act of bravery. He added he has a true appreciation for a group that exemplifies the meaning of selfless giving.
“We didn’t do anything extraordinary, in our minds,” stated Larkin, a member of the squad for nearly a decade. “When we got to the scene it was a little crazy, but we did what we were trained to do.”
Graves agreed and said that situations such as the one the group faced that night call one’s training into action.
