TOMS RIVER – Township officials have recognized members of the Pleasant Plains Volunteer Fire Department and a local dispatcher for their swift response that helped save a man’s life during a cardiac arrest call in July.
According to a township proclamation given to members on November 12, the incident occurred in early July when Dispatcher Michael Cocco, who also serves as assistant chief of the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company, received a report of a CPR emergency in the Homestead Run community. Cocco immediately requested Engine 3041 to respond as the crew was returning from a prior call.
Firefighter Thomas Pullaro, serving as the officer of Engine 3041, led the response, arriving with the crew to find an adult male in cardiac arrest along a bike route. Pullaro, along with Ex-Chief and Firefighter Charlie Bauer, Firefighter Dylan Batzel and Firefighter David Lentchner, began lifesaving efforts within moments of arriving. Bauer initiated CPR while Batzel retrieved a defibrillator, which was applied by Batzel and Lentchner, restoring a shockable rhythm and sustaining the patient until medical support arrived.
Township officials credited the successful resuscitation to the coordinated work of the crew and the decisive actions of Cocco in dispatch. The District 2 Board of Fire Commissioners awarded the Engine 3041 crew the Life Saving Award and a Unit Citation, while Cocco received the Heroism Award for his key role in the emergency response.
Mayor Daniel Rodrick and the Township Council also issued formal recognition, praising the firefighters’ professionalism and commitment to protecting residents. The Pleasant Plains Volunteer Fire Department congratulated its members for their service, calling their teamwork and dedication a testament to the department’s mission to serve the community.
