By Fred Hanson
The Patriot Ledger
RANDOLPH, Mass. — Gary Fratus celebrated his 52nd birthday last week, something that wouldn’t have been possible without the quick action of Randolph firefighters.
“I can’t thank them enough,” Fratus said Monday night. “I don’t know what to say.”
Fratus was loading trucks for his North Main Street heating and air conditioning business around 8 a.m. July 1 when he collapsed because of a cardiac arrhythmia. His son, Scott, ran next door to the North Randolph fire station for help.
The shift was changing at the time, and the five firefighters inside rushed to the man’s aid, grabbing the emergency medical equipment from the department’s Engine 4.
Firefighter/paramedic Thomas Binnall, the department’s emergency medical coordinator, said when firefighters reached the elder Fratus, he “was not breathing and had no pulse.”
Gary Fratus said he was told “I was clinically dead.”
Binnall said firefighters used a defibrillator to administer a single shock, restoring Fratus’ pulse before the ambulance arrived to take him to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton.
While the department’s ambulances are stationed at fire headquarters, Fire Chief Charles Foley said the department’s two engines carry the same advanced life support equipment and licensing. That means the equipment was nearby when Fratus needed it.
“We were able to offer the best we can give him in a timely manner,” the chief said.
Scott Fratus said the doctors told him there were long odds against survival if proper care wasn’t administered within three or four minutes.
“It’s a miracle that it happened,” Scott Fratus said. “Every single doctor said the same thing, ‘You don’t know how lucky you are.’”
Binnall said the firefighters involved deserved commendation.
“I believe that their quick actions along with the level of treatment and skill provided were instrumental in saving this man’s life,” Binnall wrote in a memo to Foley.
At its meeting Monday night, the town council recognized the seven firefighters who came to Gary Fratus’ aid. Members of the Fratus family attended, exchanging handshakes and hugs with the firefighters.
Gary Fratus now carries a reminder of that day: an implanted defibrillator.
Recognized by the council were acting Lt. Joseph Messia; firefighter/paramedics Gregory LaFleur, Kevin Donovan, Thomas Evans and Kristopher Kronillis; and firefighter/EMTs Alan Royer and William Brewer.
Copyright 2010 The Patriot Ledger