Concord Hospital Health Systems recognized the lifesaving actions of a team of Antrim’s first responders and a Concord-based 911 dispatcher at a ceremony at the Antrim Fire Department on Sunday.
Craig Clough, EMS manager for Concord Hospital Health Systems, said the rescue represented seamless teamwork by everyone involved.
“In a call like this, everybody comes together — from the dispatcher instructing the bystanders on CPR, to the police officers who usually get there first, to the fire and EMS responders. This was a situation where everything came together perfectly, and we were able to save a life,” Clough said. “We don’t look for recognition– this is our job, and we always want to do the best patient care possible. But sometimes, in an extraordinary situation, I feel like it’s important to recognize how people went above and beyond and made a difference.”
Clough presented certificates of achievement to the first responders, including Antrim Fire and Rescue members Tom Walker, Steve Auen, Josh Patrick, Annie Gilbert, Sherry Miller, and Jason Bryer, Police Chief John Blake, and 911 dispatcher Shellie Raposo.
Early on the morning of Sunday, Jan. 18, a 27-year-old Antrim man went into cardiac arrest, and friends who were there quickly called 911.
Gale said the event was especially frightening for the patient and for his friends, as they were all aware that the patient’s twin brother had already died previously from congenital heart disease.
“The victim was in the presence of friends, and when he started gasping for breath, his friends started CPR,” said Antrim Fire Chief Marshall Gale.
Dispatcher Shellie Raposo quickly got the situation in control, giving the man’s friends instructions on how to position him and start chest compressions until first responders could arrive.
Blake, who was the first to arrive at the scene, took over CPR and used an Automated External Defibrillator, or AED.
“It’s not like on TV where you shock someone and it just goes back to normal. It’s very messy; the rhythm is all over the place, and it doesn’t usually work,” Blake said.
According to Gale, only about 3 to 4 percent of people who receive CPR while in cardiac arrest actually survive.
“It is pretty rare, and it is really a testament to our whole team that we were able to do this,” Gale said.
Gale and Sherry Miller of Antrim Fire and Rescue arrived next, bringing the department’s new Lucas chest compression system, which administers mechanical chest compressions to a person in cardiac arrest, freeing first responders to prepare the patient for transport.
“This was the first time we used it,” Gale said. “We have been pretty diligent practicing with the device, so we were ready. It was a very quick deployment. We started the mechanical compressions and got ROSC (resumption if sustained cardiac rhythm) with fairly good rhythms, and the patient was maintaining his airway and we knew we had a viable patient at that point. He was then transported to Concord Hospital.”
Gale said the Lucas system , which Antrim Fire and Rescue purchased in October 2025, had been funded completely by community donations.
“We especially wanted to thank people who bought raffle tickets, supported fundraisers and have donated to the department for us to be able to purchase this device. This was the first time Antrim Ambulance had used the Lucas device in the field, and we feel it contributed to the successful resuscitation,” Gale said.
Gale said the man’s friends had emailed Blake to thank everyone involved.
“This young man’s recovery has been miraculous. He has had great care at Concord Hospital, and he has a good prognosis, ” Gale said.
