North Branford Firefighters and Police Officers Work Together to Save a Life

On Sept. 11, members of the Yale School of Drama gathered at the home of their department head, Bronislaw Sammler, for their annual picnic, which has been held there since the early 1970s. Halfway through a volleyball game, Sammler began to feel ill and suddenly collapsed. The North Branford police and fire departments responded to the 911 call. 

When officers Robert Deko and Robert Brockett arrived, people on the scene had already begun CPR. Sammler was not breathing and was without a pulse at that time. The officers, who are also specially trained emergency medical technicians (EMTs), began working along with North Branford firefighter/EMT Ken Ash and firefighter/paramedic Richard Lennon, who took over treatment of Sammler. These responders were equipped with a semiautomatic external defibrillator (AED) and the special training to utilize it, which they did in an attempt to revive Sammler.

In addition to the first responders on scene, the North Branford Fire Department ambulance arrived with paramedic Steve Shaw and EMT Matt Passaro continuing to work on Sammler, ultimately reviving him through the use of advanced life support techniques. 

Sammler was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital where he is continuing to receive treatment. In September 2000, the North Branford Police and Fire Department’s began carrying AEDs and all of their personnel received the special training to use them.

In 2010, North Branford was designated as a ‘HEARTSafe Community’ by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and in March, the town implemented its mobile intensive care paramedic program. To date, paramedics have been credited with successfully resuscitating three citizens. 

“The success of this endeavor is directly related to the town’s tiered response system and rapid response time that combines the efforts and efficiency of basic and advanced life support providers into a system of saving lives,” said Lieutenant David D’Ancicco of the NBPD.

NBPD Press Release