By JACQUELYN MOOREHEAD -- For the Scuncio family, a relaxing morning walk turned into a nightmare on July 18. Robert, 64, went into cardiac arrest at 8:30 a.m.
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For the Scuncio family, a relaxing morning walk turned into a nightmare on July 18. Robert, 64, went into cardiac arrest at 8:30 a.m. Despite having heart surgery last September, Robert had three blocked valves.
A truck driver for 35 years, Robert believed he was physically fit, having lost 52 pounds thanks to a strict diet and walking in the past year. That Tuesday morning in July, he joined his wife and her sister, Gail Powers, for a walk around the neighborhood. The three were leaving from a visit to another of his wife’s sister’s house when he collapsed.
“Bob simply passed out and fell,” his wife Elaine explained. “He just dropped.”
Powers said Robert had his eyes wide open yet was snoring as both women held his head watching his breathing. Powers immediately began CPR and continued until emergency response crews arrived. That is when they said the miracle happened.
“He should not have survived. They said he had a one-percent chance of survival,” Powers said. “It was because they did not give up on him. He did not give up.”
Powers and Elaine are referring to the responders at Fire Engine 4, Ladder 3 and Rescue 3. Again and again, the sisters repeated, “They did not give up.”
Robert was defibrillated 12 times in total and ended up with seven broken ribs, but he survived and is doing well. Jason Umbenhauer, Deputy Chief of Emergency Medical Services with the Warwick Fire Department, said the success is owed to new on-site protocols put into effect December 2016.
“We stay a minimum of 30 minutes on scene. We’ve had a large amount of success stories. We had another letter with a similar story last week,” Umbenhauer said.
He said the change in protocol was controversial when introduced – people did not want to stay on scene but rather be brought to the hospital. Umbenhauer insists rescue personnel are trained and have the same advanced life support equipment as in the hospital, and the results speak for themselves.
“National survival rates for heart attacks were in the seven to eight percent range. The new procedures boost them into almost 30 percent range.”
To perform high-quality CPR, he explained, the person performing the task should be switched out every two to three minutes. This is why more responders arrive on scene for cardiac arrest. In Robert’s case, three responders were required to travel to Rhode Island Hospital with him to continue performing CPR while in route.
CPR was performed for nearly the entire half-hour at the scene, being moved to a rescue vehicle after he regained consciousness and was talking.
Brian Grassi, First Lieutenant of Engine 4, the first truck to arrive, described Robert as a fighter, and upon hearing of Robert talking to Elaine about his broken ribs, he said, “I’m happy to hear he’s complaining.”
Both Umbenhauer and Grassi said infrequently patients or families return to rescue crews with a follow-up, but responders are often curious and always hopeful.
“We accept that we’re not always going to find out what happened once they get to the hospital, but we are curious. It’s not often we get such a positive outcome,” Grassi said. He explained HIPA comes into play when seeking a follow-up, but sometimes Umbenhauer can reach out to hospitals and doctors.
Powers and her niece, Elaine and Robert’s daughter Tanya Scuncio, went to stations 3 and 4 with donuts and thanked the responders for the life-saving work. Powers said the responders were “over the moon” to hear how well he was doing.
“It was certainly a boost,” Grassi said. “This gentleman has a big family, it’s a ripple effect, the outcome has effected so many.”
Elaine said Robert is staying close to home now, after leaving the hospital on Sunday, July 30. She said her daughter, Tanya, is considering putting together a CPR training class at her hair salon on Quaker Lane, with the proceeds going to the American Heart Association.
“Clearly, it’s a miracle – if you believe in that – doctors at Rhode Island Hospital could not believe he was still with us, “ Elaine said. “After essentially dying and coming back to life, he’s extremely grateful.”
The Scuncio Family would like to extend gratitude and praise to the men on Engine 4: Brian Grassi, Joseph D’Antonio and Noah Craven, as well as the men from Rescue 3, Justin Miller and Joseph Ducharme, and Ladder 3, William Wilson and Matthew Maraia.
In a letter to the Scuncio family, Mayor Scott Avedisian thanked the family for writing to the response crews and repeated the same sentiments for the Warwick emergency response crews.
Robert said he is doing well. His ribs are sore but he intends to visit responders once he is feeling up to it. With a smile, he said, “Life goes on, I hope.”
6 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
richardcorrente
It is so great to read a story like this one. Warwick's first responders are some of the best in the nation. I can only imagine how incredible it must feel to know that you just saved a life! Warwick should have one or two more rescues. They make more for the City than they cost and the added income could lower taxes on the rest of us.
Happy Summer everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Thursday, August 3, 2017 Report this
CrickeeRaven
First, the fake "mayor" hides a blatantly political statement beneath compliments to the Warwick fire department.
Then, he makes the absurd claim that more rescues "make more for the city than they cost," which seems to presume that rescue vehicles do not require gas, maintenance, or full-time staff, 24 hours a day, to man them.
And finally, he again uses a title that he did not earn and does not deserve.
If he had the barest shred of dignity, the fake "mayor" would apologize to Mr. Scuncio and the Warwick Fire Department for again using the comment section of this site to promote his political agenda.
Unfortunately, given his past behavior, it is far more of a certainty that he will continue to make an embarrassing spectacle of himself in his future comments.
Thursday, August 3, 2017 Report this
CrickeeRaven
First, the fake "mayor" hides a blatantly political statement beneath compliments to the Warwick fire department.
Then, he makes the absurd claim that more rescues "make more for the city than they cost," which seems to presume that rescue vehicles do not require gas, maintenance, or full-time staff, 24 hours a day, to man them.
And finally, he persists in using a title that he did not earn and does not deserve.
If he had the barest shred of dignity, the fake "mayor" would apologize to Mr. Scuncio and the Warwick Fire Department for again using the comment section of this site to promote his political agenda.
Unfortunately, given his past behavior, it is far more of a certainty that he will continue to make an embarrassing spectacle of himself in his future comments.
Thursday, August 3, 2017 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear "Crispy Raisin"'
You have GOT to get a life!
The Warwick Fire Department is factually making more money for the City than they are costing with their rescues, and that takes into consideration all the income and ALL the expenses such as the gas, maintenance etc. that you accuse me of overlooking. I have written thousands of profit-and-loss analysis statements for businesses over the last 40 years and please believe that I know what goes into them. I have written a business analysis for about one hundred businesses in Warwick alone, some of which were done several times over the years. This is different to what a CPA does, because a CPA determines "taxable" income. My analysis calculates the "usable" income for mortgage and budget purposes.
Crispy, you don't have to "presume" things and then hold them against me, and when you do, if you must, try not to print them twice. It hurts your credibility.
One last thing. please don't accuse me of calling myself the mayor. His name is Scott Avedisian. I call myself The Taxpayers Mayor. That is a different title, and there is nothing fake about it, as you suggest. I consider myself a servant of the 80,000 taxpayers of Warwick. That's why I refused any and all Political Action Committee checks (PAC's). Scott accepted 239 PAC checks. He clearly is supported by the political insiders who REQUIRE a return on their investment, and Crispy, I'll bet you're one of them.
Happy Summer everyone.
Rick Corrente
proudly, The Taxpayers Mayor
Friday, August 4, 2017 Report this
CrickeeRaven
"The Warwick Fire Department is factually making more money for the City than they are costing with their rescues..."
For readers who value accuracy and honesty, here is the link to the Warwick city budget for fiscal 2017:
https://www.warwickri.gov/sites/warwickri/files/uploads/fy17_general_fund_budget_-_proposed.pdf
Page 79 in the document shows that the city is budgeting $2,300,000 in "rescue service fees," that is, revenue from rescue runs provided by the Fire Department.
The salaries for rescue-assigned fire personnel [4 captains, 12 lieutenants, and 16 drivers] for fiscal 2017 are found on page 24 of this document: https://www.warwickri.gov/sites/warwickri/files/uploads/fy17_personnel_supplement.pdf.
They total $2,392,332. This does not include gasoline and maintenance on the rescues, or health benefits and pension contributions for these fire personnel, meaning the difference is far greater than the $392,332 already proven.
Thus, the statement made by the fake "mayor" is shown, as so many of his other claims, to be objectively and provably false, as is also the case with the following:
"Scott accepted 239 PAC checks."
Here is a direct link showing the winning incumbent mayor's campaign receipts from Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2016, which was provided to the fake "mayor" on a previous comment board: http://bit.ly/2uH2JWG
Clicking on the "Type" link on the table sorts the information and shows 28 classified as "PAC." Not 237, or the fake "mayor's" updated imaginary number of 239, for which he offers no data -- 28.
Despite the multiple attempts by commenters on this site to provide the fake "mayor" with facts and data, he persists in proving himself unfit for office by making an embarrassing spectacle of himself. Honest, taxpaying voters in Warwick will certainly reject his candidacy again next November.
Friday, August 4, 2017 Report this
CrickeeRaven
To correct a prior error [something the fake "mayor" has shown no ability or willingness to do], the difference between rescue fees and salaries should be $92,332.
Friday, August 4, 2017 Report this