Five BOCES lifesavers are honored

GOSHEN — Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus has recognized five staff members from the Orange-Ulster BOCES Regional Office of Interscholastic Athletics as the Citizens of the Month Award winner for March.
The collective quick thinking of Chris Mayo, Dan Morse, Doug Stahl and Heather Walsh and Amanda York helped save the life of a baseball official who collapsed in their office in Goshen last month and was unresponsive.
“The decisive actions of these five individuals saved a life,” Neuhaus said. “Without hesitating, they used their CPR training to come to the rescue of a man who desperately needed it. They kept their cool and worked together during an unnerving moment, which is a credit to their training and professionalism. I’m proud to recognize them for their heroics.”
According to Mayo, who serves as Athletic Coordinator and runs the office, a longtime baseball official from Dutchess County arrived in the lobby for a meeting at approximately 9 a.m. on Jan. 31 and collapsed. Mayo and his staff quickly responded to help the unconscious man. Assistant Coordinator Walsh and Stahl, an Athletic Programs Assistant, sprinted to nearby C.J. Hooker Middle School to find a nurse.
Mayo communicated with 911 as Morse and York, both Athletic Programs Assistants, administered CPR. Morse and York are both certified American Red Cross CPR/AED First Aid Instructors. They train hundreds of coaches in Section 9 (Orange, Sullivan, Ulster and Dutchess counties) each year on how to administer CPR. Working together and using their training, they were able to revive the baseball official.
The Village of Goshen Police, a Deputy from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and local EMT’s quickly responded to the scene. The man was taken to Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown and is now doing fine. Mayo lives in Montgomery, Morse resides in Port Jervis and Stahl is from Walden. Walsh and York both live in the Town of Newburgh.
“I believe the gentleman is alive today because of the quick actions and leadership of my staff,” Mayo said. “I couldn’t be prouder of them. I appreciate this recognition from County Executive Neuhaus. It is especially rewarding because I know that he is vigilant about public safety in Orange County.”
Neuhaus introduced his Citizen of the Month Award, which acknowledges outstanding Orange County residents, in January 2017. To nominate someone for the Citizen of the Month Award, please email ceoffice@orangecountygov.com or mail a letter to “Citizen of the Month” at 255-275 Main St. Goshen, N.Y. 10924. Be sure to include the nominee’s name, hometown, a list of their accomplishments, why you are nominating them and any other pertinent information. Nominees must be from Orange County.