Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner has been called upon to carry out many different acts during his four terms as mayor, from presiding over weddings to sitting in a dunk tank to collect funds for local organizations.
But never before was Turner asked to perform the ultimate role in public service, namely saving the life of a constituent, which he did three weeks ago with the help of some fellow quick-thinking township employees.
Turner was attending the township’s annual Halloween party for senior citizens, which was held Oct. 25 at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen. With more than 175 seniors in attendance, Turner’s ability to perform emergency cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) saved the life of 82-year-old Vinnie Ortizio, a World War II veteran and one of the most beloved seniors in the township.
“Everyone was having a good time,” said Turner, who had to be coaxed into telling the story. “The seniors were in various stages of eating, and the local Brownie troop had just finished entertaining. Some of the seniors got up to dance, including Vinnie. He just finished dancing and sat down to eat. Someone came over to our table and said that there was something wrong with Vinnie and that it was serious.”
Apparently, Ortizio, who donates his time to help teach the youngsters at Roosevelt School about what it was like to serve in World War II, was having a heart attack.
“Myself, Mark Baker [a driver for the senior citizens], [Senior Citizen Director] Carmela Facchini and Bill Soimes [another driver] went over to Vinnie. We quickly saw that he was changing colors and had no pulse.”
Turner first received his CPR training when he was in high school, as a member of the Boy Scouts.
“But I’ve participated when the Volunteer First Aid Squad had demonstrations, which acted as a refresher course for me,” Turner said. “So I knew what I was doing.”
While Soimes held Ortizio, Turner massaged his heart and Baker performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
“I kept pumping the heart and Mark was providing the air mouth-to-mouth,” Turner said. “It seemed like forever, but it was probably about five minutes.”
With the rest of the senior citizens looking on in horror, Turner and Baker worked together, along with assistance from Soimes and Facchini and her staff, to try to save Ortizio’s life.
“It was a team effort,” Turner said. “We kept working, but one time, through the process, Vinnie gasped for air and his color started to return, so that was a good sign.”
When the emergency medical technicians and paramedics arrived, they were able to use a defibulator that gave Ortizio a pulse and a heartbeat.
“I was told that he was able to breathe on his own a little when he was in the ambulance,” Turner said.
Ortizio was transported to Meadowlands Medical Center, where he remains in intensive care. But according to medical staff, Ortizio is making some improvements and is being treated to help his breathing.
But Ortizio apparently didn’t suffer any brain damage from a loss of oxygen.
“He has memory of the day,” Turner said. “We’re encouraged by that. We don’t know about his other conditions. We’re all hopeful that Vinnie has a full recovery.”
Still, Ortizio is alive today, thanks to the efforts of Turner, Baker and the others.
“It’s proof that the process works,” Turner said. “It’s a very valuable tool to have and it’s important that people should know. It’s why the First Aid squad does certification courses and why we have started the CERT program, which teaches the basics of CPR. From this experience, we’re encouraging everyone to learn the basics of CPR, at least one person in each family should know.”
Lessons learned
Turner said that the key to this save was that no one panicked.
“We didn’t have time to get upset or anything,” he said. “Everyone chipped in and did their part to help Vinnie.”
Turner said that there was another lesson learned in the face of a tense situation.
“Vinnie was ready,” Turner said. “He had all of his emergency information in his wallet, like his doctors’ names, the medications he was taking, the pharmacy where he goes. He had the names and phone numbers of his sons, so we were able to contact his family right away.”
Now, the Weehawken Senior Citizens have come up with a form that the seniors are encouraged to fill out, complete with all their emergency information, and are asked to keep with them at all times.