SHREWSBURY, Mass. - Officers and firefighters in Shrewsbury were recognized for their quick thinking, which saved the life of a one- year-old girl.
Shrewsbury Police Detective Matthew Caola, Officer Shawn Valliere, Firefighter Rory Ahern, and Firefighter Ben Gerber received the District Attorney's TEAM (Team Excellence and Merit) Award on Tuesday. The first responders used breathing techniques to revive Olivia back in September. Olivia's mother, Kirsten Puccio, was grateful to be reunited with the people who saved her daughter's life.
"I'm really grateful to live in Shrewsbury and am just really impressed with the way that everything has been handled," Puccio said. "Obviously, they saved my daughter's life which is great. But they were there so quickly and in that time when I was absolutely out of my mind, it was just so nice to have somebody there to help so quickly."
"We think especially at a time like this where sometimes people in public service, people in law enforcement and the fire are getting short-drift, we should recognize what they do so there's an appreciation from everyone," Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early, Jr. said. "Because they have one of the hardest jobs out there."
The District Attorney hands out the TEAM Award to public safety employees for excellence and merit.