Ipswich Police Harbor Unit and Ipswich Fire Render Life-Saving Aid to Man Suffering Medical Emergency on Plum Island

IPSWICH — Police Chief Paul Nikas and Fire Chief Paul Parisi are pleased to share that first responders from Ipswich successfully rescued and saved a man following a medical emergency on Plum Island on Saturday. 

On Saturday, July 25, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Harbor Unit Officers Patrick Doody and David Moore received reports from Chief of Communications David Irvine that there was a 72-year-old unconscious male on a boat at the south end of Plum Island. Officers quickly responded to the scene and observed that the man was unconscious and did not have a pulse. 

Officers Doody and Moore began rendering aid to the man and were able to transfer him to the Harbor Unit Boat, where they began life-saving measures, and Officer Doody began CPR. Due to their extensive training, officers realized they would have to transport the man to the Ipswich Bay Yacht Club (IBYC) deep water dock, due to low tide on the river, which renders access to the public boat ramp impossible due to the river’s extremely limited low-tide status and the harbor patrol boats’ required draft.

The man began to regain consciousness as the boat arrived at the IBYC dock and was further treated by Ipswich firefighters Jonathan Walsh, Mike Bonaiuto, Ben Yanakakis, and Lt. Gus McInnis.

Land-based units transferred the man from the dock to an awaiting EMS unit from Action Ambulance. The man was then transported to Beverly Hospital for further evaluation. 

The man has since been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

“This is a great example of a coordinated response over multiple environments by Ipswich Police, Fire, Dispatch and Action Ambulance, said Chief Nikas. “Having access to the deep water docks at the Ipswich Bay Yacht Club played an immensely important role as this occurred at low tide and the river was too shallow to navigate in an emergency. I am extremely proud of my officers and all those who responded for utilizing their training to save this man’s life.”

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