Officer, EMTs honored for heroic act
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
A Presque Isle police officer and two Caribou paramedics were recognized Feb. 4 for an heroic act that saved the life of a man pinned beneath an automobile.
Photo courtesy of PIPD
OFFICER HONORED — Larry Fickett, a patrol officer with the Presque Isle Police Department, received the Life Saving Award at the annual meeting of the Maine Police Chiefs’ Association in South Portland on Feb. 4. Fickett and two Caribou paramedics, were honored for saving the life of a man trapped beneath a car in April 2010 in Presque Isle. Pictured at the award ceremony, from left, are: Naldo Gagnon, retired chief of the PIPD, who presented the plaque; and Fickett.
“The Maine Police Chiefs’ Association, at its annual meeting in South Portland, honored three people from Aroostook County for their efforts in a dramatic rescue that took place in Presque Isle in the spring of 2010,” said Steve Corbin, regional EMS coordinator, Region 5 Aroostook.
Corbin said Officer Larry Fickett, PIPD, and Caribou Fire & Ambulance Department Pramedics Scott Susi and Scott Dow were honored for their life-saving efforts at the awards ceremony banquet held at the Whyndam Hotel in South Portland.
Corbin shared details of the event and how the men’s actions saved a life, referring to the nomination paper that detailed the event and how a “tragedy was averted.”
Although all three men were no strangers to responding to accidents, what was unusual was the fact Susi and Dow, both based in Caribou, happened to be in Presque Isle when help was needed.
“A call was dispatched for EMS for a traumatic injury involving a middle-aged man pinned under an automobile. The caller was frantic and the crew initially arrived to find the patient unconscious and very discolored from the waist up,” Corbin noted from the nomination.
Though the fire department was dispatched, medics realized they had no time to wait for firefighters to arrive to extricate the victim.
“Medics solicited the help of Presque Isle Police Officers Lynn Hartley and Larry Fickett, who had also arrived at the scene to provide traffic control,” stated Corbin.
As Susi and Fickett lifted the car’s rear bumper by hand, Dow was able to pull the victim by his ankles, freeing him from where he was trapped beneath the weight of the car.
“Had it not been for the courageous action of the EMS crew and police officers that day, the victim would certainly have become a fatality,” stated Corbin.
Corbin congratulated the men for working to save the man’s life, “during what could have been a very disastrous situation for the victim.”
“Thanks to their efforts, there was certainly a fatality averted that day,” said Corbin.
For helping save the unidentified man’s life, Fickett was awarded the “Life Saving By A Law Enforcement Officer” commendation in recognition of his actions that day in April of 2010. Making the moment all the more memorable was the fact the award was presented to Fickett by former PIPD Chief Naldo Gagnon.
“The quick, decisive actions taken by Fickett, Susi and Dow ultimately proved to be the crucial deciding factor in saving the life of the middle-aged male victim,” said Chief Edward J. Googins, president, MCPA, and Chief Richard A. Pickett, Dixfield Police Department, chairman, Awards Committee, in a joint statement. “The citizens of Maine and members of the law enforcement profession join in expressing their pride and gratitude for a job well done.”
