FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – A paramedic and firefighter from Freehold Township has been honored by the Township Committee for helping to save a woman’s life.
Drew Lubber, who is a member of Freehold EMS (Freehold First Aid Squad) and Freehold Township Independent Fire Company No. 1, received a life-saving certificate from municipal officials on Sept. 26 in recognition of the role he played in resuscitating a woman who fell unconscious on July 23.
According to the certificate, which was read aloud by Mayor Lester Preston, Lubber was walking in his neighborhood when he heard screams coming from a house. He entered the house and was directed upstairs where he found a woman unconscious on the floor.
The woman identified herself to the News Transcript as Lisa Lodico.
After identifying himself, Lubber initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation because Lodico was not breathing and did not have a pulse.
A call was made to 911 and officers from the Freehold Township Police Department arrived at the home with an automated external defibrillator (AED) and oxygen.
The police were followed shortly thereafter by Freehold EMS members and MONOC paramedics. Lubber led the emergency personnel in the life-saving efforts, according to the certificate.
Lodico regained a pulse after receiving four shocks from the AED and advanced life support interventions, according to the certificate. She was transported to CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, and later transferred to Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, Burlington County. Within days after the incident, she returned home.
According to the certificate, Lubber has been a member of Freehold Township Independent Fire Company No. 1 for six years and Freehold EMS for four years. In addition to his volunteer service in the community, he is a paramedic at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. He is currently studying public health at Rutgers University.
“The Township Committee sincerely thanks you [Lubber] for your four years of service with Freehold EMS, as well as six years of service with the Freehold Township Independent Fire Company,” the certificate reads. “Thank you, especially for working so magnificently on July 23, 2017, with other first responders to save someone in need.”
“On July 23, 2017, I was blessed with an angel,” Lodico said. “I will be forever grateful for Drew Lubber.”
Speaking about receiving a certificate from municipal officials, Lubber recognized the emergency personnel who also came to Lodico’s aid.
“The incident that took place on July 23, 2017, was a matter of being at the right place at the right time,” Lubber said. “I am happy to have been there to provide the care I could, relying on my years of training.
“Emergency services is a team effort and although I was the first on scene, the three Freehold Township police officers, four Freehold EMS members and two MONOC paramedics were integral to the resuscitation efforts,” he said. “I am truly humbled to have been recognized by the Township Committee.”
