Islanders Meet Local Heroes at Stratford EMS
Jan 9, 2025By Brian Germinaro | Bridgeport Islanders
‘Hometown Heroes Night’ is quickly approaching on Saturday, Jan. 18th. It’s a night dedicated to honoring real heroes in our community who work tirelessly every day to serve the public, including local police officers, EMS workers, and firefighters.
On Wednesday, Bridgeport Islanders players got an early jump on showing their appreciation when William Dufour, Calle Odelius, Travis Mitchell, and Aidan Fulp visited Stratford EMS. They met local first responders for more than an hour.
The four skaters were given a tour of the station, getting a first-hand, behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of an EMS worker. They witnessed their training room, dispatch center, ambulance bay, and living area.
After the tour, the players got hands-on EMS training including how to insert a breathing tube, preform hands-only CPR, and how to use a defibrillator.
“The most fun we had was putting the breathing tube in,” Mitchell said. “We weren’t very successful, but it was kind of cool seeing how easy it was for them, and makes you feel safer.”
They were then shown the inside of an ambulance. Seeing all the different medicines and equipment on board, as well as the purpose everything had. Mitchell and Odelius even got to sit in the front of the ambulance and play with the sirens and microphone system.
To conclude the visit, the players were asking many questions during the ambulance tour, prompting the EMS workers to give one more lesson. They showed the players how to administer an IV through a person bone. Impressive but shocking to the players.
“It’s a perspective you never really get to see,” Fulp said. “The amount of work they do, their commitment to the community, and helping people out is truly spectacular. We want to play for them and support them any way we can.”
Tickets to the Bridgeport Islanders ‘Hometown Heroes Night’ are on sale now!