City Council honors local heroes

  Last Monday night, the City Council honored seven people for their lifesaving efforts at a recent Revere High School (RHS) junior varsity basketball game. Donald Boudreau, RHS Athletic Trainer Keith Correia, Police Officers Bryan Brenes and Joseph Internicola, Fire Captain Kevin O’Hara, and Firefighters Chuck DelGreco and Brian Ciampoli were presented with Certificates of Merit by the City Council for their actions when a referee collapsed on the floor during the game in early February.

  “On Feb. 7, Councillor Cogliandro was recognizing a group of food pantry volunteers for their work distributing food to the veterans and the members of our community,” said Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe, who introduced the order for the certificates. “One of my good friends, Donald Boudreau, was not in attendance and I messaged him and said, “Hey, you’re being awarded tonight … for your work in the community.’ He said he had his son’s basketball game … and he decided it was probably a better idea to go to his son’s basketball game.”

  Keefe said he is a big believer in being in the right place at the right time, and that Boudreau, who is a registered nurse, walked into the junior varsity game just as it was entering overtime.

When the referee collapsed, Boudreau’s wife alerted him and Correia and they began lifesaving efforts on the referee. “In came SROs [school resource officers] Joe Internicola and Bryan Brenes to make sure that not only was the referee being attended to but that everyone was doing what they were supposed to do,” said Keefe.

  As Boudreau and Correia were working on the referee, Keefe said, Ladder 2 responded immediately, and O’Hara, DelGreco and Campoli then took over.

  “These people that we look up to as heroes, especially over the last few years, were not really looking for recognition, and I know they would be happy to go on with their day, but I thought it was important to bring them up in front of the community to let them know how important they are to us,” said Keefe. “They are always at the right place at the right time – always – and we can rely on these people in our community.”

  O’Hara thanked Keefe and the City Council on behalf of the other firefighters and police officers for the honor. “We are humbled,” O’Hara said. “Saving a life is doing our job at the highest level. This, however, is not unique to this event; this is what we do, day in and day out, in the fire service and the police service.”