Elks Lodge Honors Six First Responders for Heroism, Service
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
By Ryan Raicht
The Mid-Westchester Elks Lodge 535 held its annual First Responders Appreciation Awards Dinner last week, recognizing members of local law enforcement for their brave and heroic sacrifices.
The ceremony was established six years ago, and since then the Elks Lodge has handed out close to 40 awards to first responders.
This year, there were six recipients of the award at the ceremony, which was held at the VFW Hall in Armonk, with four of them representing the North Castle Police Department.
Lt. Tom McCormack presented awards to officers Jenna Marie Saccocio, James Kehoe, Louis Carricato and Sgt. Kevin Finateri.
Saccoccio was honored for recognizing that a party was experiencing an overdose, and immediately administered Narcan. She then assisted Armonk Ambulance personnel in performing CPR.
“After a second dose of Narcan was administered, the patient became responsive and began to breathe normally,” McCormack said. “Without question, the actions of Officer Saccoccio, in conjunction with Armonk Ambulance personnel, saved the life of this patient.”
The next three officers all received their award for the same event, highlighted by Officer James Kehoe.
They responded to a report of an unresponsive male party inside a residence. Upon arrival, the officers were notified that the subject had taken an unknown medication for back pain and began experiencing the effects of an opioid overdose.
“Officer Kehoe administered two doses of Narcan and began assisting respiration,” McCormack explained. “Minutes later, the patient became responsive and began to breathe normally. The patient was transported to the hospital and survived the incident. The quick response and actions of the involved officers without doubt saved the life of their patient.”
The next award went to former Armonk Fire Department chief Ronald Macellero.
Macellaro has been one of the department’s top responders for years and has served as a mentor for younger members. He was presented him with his award by his son-in-law, also a firefighter.
Deputy Chief William Nethercott Jr. of the Port Chester Fire Department was also honored as a longtime member. Nethercott has served Port Chester for more than 55 years in a plethora of roles for the department, including serving as head driver, first lieutenant, second lieutenant, captain, president, vice president and chief.
Michael Nethercott, another Port Chester firefighter, presented his father with the award. Nethercott is a close friend of Jim Comstock, chairman of the Elks Lodge.
“When Jimmy called me and asked me about this, I didn’t hesitate,” Michael Nethercott said. “I knew my father was a deserving recipient of this award. Going back to my early teenage years, and he was fire chief, I remember that big black box radio going off when the call was coming in, and I was that 13-year-old kid running over to the back door, wanting to jump into the chief car and go on the call with him – which I did many times.”
Robert Comstock, chairman of the Board of Directors, congratulated the honorees during his closing remarks.
“To our award recipients, congratulations,” Comstock said. “Someone took the time to nominate you and put your name forward as a recipient. And that means you’ve done something very valuable to the community.”
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