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Milton resident and Fallon Ambulance Chair Car driver saves life of a choking woman on the Massachusetts Turnpike

 

CONTACT:  Colleen Rielly, Fallon Ambulance, crielly@fallonambulance.com, (617) 745-2116

Jim Farrell, PR First, 781-681-6616, jfarrell@prfirst .com

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When seconds count…being in the right place at the right time

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Fallon Ambulance Service Chair Car Driver saves life of woman choking; applies Heimlich Maneuver during rush-hour traffic on Massachusetts Turnpike

 

BOSTON AND MILTON, MA, ISSUED NOVEMBER 20, 2013…For James Fallon, a first-year employee at Fallon Ambulance Service, his days are generally fairly routine. As a Chair Car Driver, his responsibilities are to transport people from one location to another throughout the region. It’s typically the non-emergency side of the business.

 

But that wasn’t the case on Friday, November 1, when he saved the life of a choking woman who just happened to be near him stuck in rush-hour traffic.

 

Heading East into Boston with an individual he was transporting, he and many other motorists were stuck in rush hour traffic just before reaching the Prudential Tunnel.

 

He suddenly saw a woman in an SUV, next to him in traffic, rocking back and forth, and then her door opened. At first he thought she was having a panic attack, but quickly surmised that she was choking. He jumped out of the van, pulled her from her vehicle, and performed the Heimlich Maneuver. “It all happened in what seemed like seconds,” he said. Fallon’s brave actions also caught the attention of a WBZ-TV photographer, who captured the events on film and aired it on their TV show shortly thereafter.

 

“I never got the woman’s name,” said Fallon, who said that they briefly embraced, and she headed off into the traffic.

 

“As a Chair Car Driver, part of our training is CPR and First Aid, which includes instruction on how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver,” he said.  However, prior to that day, he had never actually performed the procedure. A typical day for him is to transport patients, and he covers a region from the Cape to Dorchester, sometimes the South Shore, sometimes Rhode Island. “Every day is different,” he said.


The recent Boston College High School graduate joined Fallon Ambulance Service shortly after graduation. He said his hope is to move up and become an EMT and eventually Paramedic.

 

WBZ photographer William Meservey, who was a witness to the events as they unfolded, was quoted as saying, “(James) deserves all the credit in the world for what he did.”

 

James Fallon is the son of Fallon Ambulance Service CEO Tim Fallon.


Tim Fallon, President and CEO of Fallon Ambulance, said, “I am very proud of James, as I am of all my colleagues, who routinely provide exceptional patient care. Being that he is my son is however a little extra special.”

 

About Fallon Ambulance

Fallon Ambulance Service was founded in 1923 by James R. Fallon, Sr. Mr. Fallon’s son, James R. (Ray) Fallon, Jr., served as President and owner from 1974 until 2000. Today, Timothy J. Fallon, grandson to the founder, serves as President and CEO.  Tim’s sister Kathleen Mackie, step brothers, Peter Racicot, Senior Vice President and Normand Racicot, Vice President, also represent the third generation of this family business. And a fourth generation represented by 7 great grandchildren of the founder is working in various capacities in the organization. Fallon Ambulance is the largest privately owned and operated ambulance service in the Northeast. Fallon Ambulance employs more than 600 personnel, operates more than 150 vehicles and responds to over 160,000 emergency and non-emergency calls per year.  Fallon Ambulance is the 9-1-1 provider for the municipalities of Milton, Quincy, Brookline, Weymouth, Braintree and Dedham and provides primary backup to Boston and Randolph. Fallon Ambulance Service additionally provides medical transportation for a number of area medical facilities including nursing homes, hospitals, and HMO’s throughout Greater Boston, the South Shore and Metro West region. It is headquartered at 111-115 Brook Road, Quincy, MA and operates satellite offices throughout its coverage area. Fallon Ambulance Service has been recognized many times by various business and community organizations for its exceptional service.  For additional information about Fallon Ambulance Services or programs that the company offers, contact Peter Racicot, Senior Vice President, at (617) 745-2117 or visit www.fallonambulance.com.

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