The Mineola Village Board honored John Chilcott last week. The building department inspector saved the life of an 8-week old boy in Village Hall on Dec. 18.
“We salute John as we join his family and members of the community in gratitude of his commendable act of courage,” Mayor Scott Strauss said.
A woman, who has still not been identified, arrived in Village Hall at 1:30 p.m. to pay a parking ticket. Village Court was closed briefly. As she was leaving, her son stopped breathing.
“Our very own hometown hero happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Strauss said.
Peter Smith, also of the Mineola Building Department, was walking into the building just as the mother was calling for help. Chilcott heard the commotion and raced downstairs to a room where the baby was lying on a table in a side room, motionless.
“It was just instinct,” he said. “I just used three fingers, pressed on his chest little and it brought him around. It can’t hurt to know CPR.”
Chilcott credited the CPR training he received from the American Red Cross more than 30 years ago.
“[John] gave back somebody a life during Christmas week,” Strauss said.
