First-responders honored in Sturbridge for saving life of off-duty police officer

STURBRIDGE ― For Jeffrey Lavallee, a Sturbridge police officer, one evening in December could have been the last of his life if not for the quick response of some of his fellow officers.

That evening, Dec. 17, Lavallee felt sick and went to his bedroom. When his wife, Sandra Murphy, checked on him later, Lavallee was unresponsive; he had suffered a heart attack.

Luckily, Lavallee's stepdaughter and her fiancé, East Brookfield police officer Matthew Schlegel, were living downstairs. Schlegel performed CPR on Lavallee with help from Lavallee's stepson, Brayden Fillios, while Murphy called police to request an ambulance.

"These officers knew as soon as they heard the address that they were responding to one of their own," District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said.

Lavallee had been a full-time officer with the Sturbridge Police Department for 25 years. Although he recently retired from the department, he continued to work there part time.

On Wednesday at Sturbridge Town Hall, Early honored those who helped, including Schlegel; Sturbridge police officers Daniel Hemingway, Garrett Danna and Nicole Patterson; Sturbridge firefighter and paramedic Lt. Sean Moynagh; Sturbridge firefighter and EMT Joseph Doldoorian; and Sturbridge EMS dispatchers Benjamin Grasso and Aaron Berry.

Each of them received a certificate as part of the TEAM (Team Excellence and Merit) award that recognizes employees in public safety "who go above and beyond."

Additionally, Fillios and Murphy received civilian awards for their actions.

Sturbridge Police Chief Earl Dessert said responding to any lifesaving call can be stressful, especially when the person needing assistance is someone the department knows well.

"It certainly was more anxiety at the call because when you know somebody, whether it be another police officer or sometimes a family member, it's just a different level of anxiety," Dessert said. "It certainly impacts these officers differently."

As for Lavallee, although he does not remember much of the incident or the days following it, he is grateful to everyone who helped.

"Knowing these guys the way I do, and the way we work together, having each other's backs, there's an emotional aspect there too," Lavallee said. "You train with these people yearly. You love them. These are great people you admire."

As an officer, Lavallee said, he knows he is around people capable of saving lives. He was in the ICU for 11 days, and many of his colleagues visited him during that time.

"I had zero memory of all of that stuff and it comes to me slowly, but I had some short-term memory loss," Lavallee said.

Grasso and Berry said they were honored to receive the award.

"It feels good as a dispatcher," Grasso said. "For a while, dispatchers weren't treated this way. There was definitely less recognition, so it's nice."

Early emphasized the importance of teamwork between the EMS services and the Police Department.

"This crew of first responders had worked with each other before, but never had it been in circumstances like this," Early said. "They kicked their emotions out the door and their training immediately kicked in and they did their roles."

Early said the first responders responded to the call like "true professionals."

"[Lavallee] is alive because of the actions of everyone involved in this endeavor," Early said. "His miraculous story of recovery is nothing short of a miracle."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: First-responders honored for saving life of off-duty Sturbridge cop