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Northvale honors ambulance crew after Rockley fire chief revived during response
Summary
Council recognized Northvale and mutual-aid EMS and fire personnel after Rockley Fire Chief Scott Roberts suffered a cardiac arrest while crews responded to a carbon-monoxide alarm; a coordinated response and defibrillation restored his heartbeat en route to the hospital.
Northvale Mayor McGuire and the borough council publicly thanked Northvale Ambulance Corps members and mutual-aid fire departments after Rockley Fire Chief Scott Roberts suffered an on-scene cardiac arrest during a Jan. 31 response to a carbon monoxide alarm.
Mayor McGuire read a letter from Ken Shepherd, assistant chief in Rockley, describing the response and praising Northvale personnel for helping revive Chief Roberts. "If it were not for the fast responding efforts of Abby, Kevin, Jack, and other members of the EMS on scene, Chief Roberts would not be with us today," the letter said, as read at the meeting.
The letter, read to the council, said the Rockley department was dispatched at 6:32 p.m. to a residence that houses elderly patients after a carbon-monoxide alarm registered about 30 parts per million on the building's second floor. Rockley established command on the north side while other crews and ambulances were dispatched from Northvale, Norwood, Harrington Park and neighboring departments. According to the account read at the meeting, Chief Roberts collapsed at the command post. Responders began CPR, applied an automated external defibrillator and used a Lucas mechanical chest-compression device; multiple shocks were delivered and responders continued care while transporting the chief. The letter reported that more shocks returned a heartbeat en route to the hospital.
Council and participants at the meeting singled out individual responders. Mayor McGuire named Northvale ambulance personnel and other mutual-aid crews present and invited several attendees forward for recognition. An EMS speaker at the meeting said, "EMS is a team approach to everything that we do," and credited training and teamwork for the positive outcome. Representatives from Norwood and other responding departments attended the meeting to be recognized.
Ken Shepherd, who also spoke at the meeting, said he heard the incident unfolded "like clockwork" and that the Rockley department would like to make a presentation to the Northvale Ambulance Corps at a future council meeting.
The council presented public thanks to the crews and urged continued recognition of mutual-aid coordination and training as part of emergency response planning.
