“Whenever we’ve needed them, they’ve been there for us,” Brick Police Sgt. Jim Kelly said of the department’s EMTs. “Yesterday, we got to be there for them.”
While EMT Katelyn Lammer was stationed to screen people entering town hall on Wednesday, she began to choke on something she was eating, Kelly said.
“She could not clear her own airway, and that’s when things got scary,” said Kelly. “Luckily, our officers working the front desk sprang into action.”
In this video, Lammer is seen going to the window for help, where Sgt. Josh Jenssen signals to those near the door who can get out to help her. Sgt. Austin Kenny and Sgt. Charlie Kelly were the first out the door with Kelly quickly resorting to a series of abdominal thrusts to clear a complete airway obstruction.
“Our EMTs are the best,” said Sgt. Jim Kelly. “They’ve saved numerous lives, helped countless sick and injured people, and they display a level of professionalism and competence throughout this whole COVID crisis that could serve as an example to healthcare workers everywhere.”
But it’s important for police officers to be familiar with lifesaving techniques as well: “And this is why we train,” Kelly said.
