Stoughton Fire, Police Save Two in Separate Life-Threatening Choking Incidents

The responds to a lot of choking calls, but rarely ones which involve 100 percent blockage, Lt. Buddy O’Neil of the SFD said.

On Sunday, April 15, there were two such calls, within a span of three hours, both of which required Advanced Life Support (ALS) to save the patients.

At 1:27 p.m. Stoughton Fire and responded to  at 103 Sharon St. in Cobbs Corner for a report of a male chocking.

Officer Bobby Duke of the SPD performed the Heimlich Maneuver, but to no avail. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) did not work either—there was 100 percent blockage of the airway—so the Stoughton Fire Department then administered ALS, using Magill forceps to remove what O’Neil called a “good-sized piece of beef.”

O’Neil said the male patient “was not very responsive” but was able to follow commands after the piece of food had been removed from his airway.

The patient was transported to in Brockton.

Just three hours later, at 4:28 p.m., Stoughton Fire and Police responded to another choking call, this one for a female at 128 Robinette Road (off Bay Road).

As emergency crews were en route to the scene, SFD dispatcher Joe Sbardella walked the person who called 9-1-1 through the steps needed to administer the Heimlich Maneuver.

happens to live a few doors down and responded and assisted Officer Duke with performing the Heimlich Maneuver, but again, to no avail.

ALS was needed again, and Magill forceps were used to remove a piece of beef that had completely blocked this female patient’s airway.

O’Neil said the female patient was talking after ALS had been performed. She was also transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton.

SPD Officer Duke responded to both calls as did SFD Engine 1’s O’Neil, Fred Little and Ryan Cabral.

O’Neil said what took place at both calls was a team effort, but Cabral was “instrumental” in performing ALS on the patients.

Brian Earnst and Tim Guillotte transported the patient at Chinatown, while Paul McCafferty and Jack Hussey transported the patient from Robinette Road.

This past week was fittingly National Public Safety Telecommunications Week (Dispatcher Week) and Sbardella's role walking the caller through the process of the Heimlich Maneuver, showed the important role dispatchers play in public safety. 

O’Neil said two additional factors couldn’t be overlooked in the positive outcomes of these two calls—the Stoughton Fire Department was fully staffed on Sunday with 11 firefighters on duty; and because Station 2 (on Central St.) is open and functional, this contributed to a more timely response, as a crew from Station 2, which is closer to the location of both calls, responded to both incidents.