Newtown resident Jim Spinner is alive and well, and there are several individuals responsible for that after coming to his rescue this past summer.

On Sunday, December 8, the men and women who joined efforts and reacted diligently to save his life were recognized by the Danbury Career Fire Department at its annual Awards Ceremony at Danbury’s City Hall Council Chambers. Police and fire personnel, as well as EMTs, a dispatcher, and Mr Spinner’s employees were all cited for their efforts in saving Mr Spinner four-plus months ago.

Back on July 30, Mr Spinner went into cardiac arrest while at Danbury-based Integ Systems Corporation, where he is a managing partner.

The collective effort that ensued is perhaps as remarkable as the fact Mr Spinner made it, considering what transpired and his age. At 65 years old, Mr Spinner would not have been a strong candidate for survival after it was necessary for him to be put into an induced coma to protect his brain and other organs, if not for his high fitness level, Mr Spinner said doctors and cardiologists told him.

“They said I’d have a full recovery,” said Mr Spinner, who has since gotten back to exercising.

An exercise enthusiast, Mr Spinner is an avid cyclist and swimmer who has done triathlons and numerous road races, including a marathon. He was taking a medication to regulate his heart beat. A combination of his bodybuilding and immunity to the medication and his rigorous exercise routine that week factored into his having a heart attack, he said.

“I never thought in a million years I’d go into cardiac arrest,” Mr Spinner said.

Five individuals from his office, along with a man from another company in the same building, and three men from Newtown-based LRM Inc who happened to be onsite doing work — who also happen to be Newtown and Sandy Hook firefighter-EMTs — joined forces to keep Mr Spinner alive until emergency responders arrived and took over.

“It took a community to save my life,” said Mr Spinner, who along with his wife, Pamela, has three grown children. “If one person [didn’t] get involved, I wouldn’t be here. Everybody was just pushing the envelope to get the job done.”

Rob Manna, Brian Manna, and Ryan Clark, all of LRM Inc, were part of the collaborative effort by chance.

Judy Saunders, an employee at Integ who also lives in Newtown, was the first to discover Mr Spinner on the floor gasping for air. Ms Saunders let out a scream that started a series of important events, including a call to 911 by Ms Saunders’ daughter and fellow employee, Erin Saunders, also of Newtown.

Judy Saunders went outside to direct responders to the office within the complex when she saw the LRM truck. She recognized it and knew Mr Spinner was friends with LRM Owner Rob Manna so she got their attention, looking to get help from anybody and everybody around.

“I’ve known Jim for 25 years. You always want to do everything you can to save someone you know,” said Rob Manna, who helped relieve Integ Managing Partner Stan Plato and others who had started giving Mr Spinner chest compressions and performing CPR.

Mr Spinner suffered six broken ribs — a small price to pay to remain alive, he noted — and Mr Clark took plenty of pride in his responsibility for breaking three of them in the process of helping give Mr Spinner a chance, Mr Spinner said.

“These three Newtowners happened to be at the right place at the right time to help another Newtowner,” Mr Spinner said. “It’s just a total coincidence.”

The efforts of everybody involved, beginning with his fast-acting employees, bought time for emergency responders to do their thing, Mr Spinner said.

“It’s an amazing story,” he added.

Erin Saunders and Caroline Bedan, another Integ employee, drove to Mr Spinner’s home to pick up his wife and take her to the hospital.

Dr John Murphy, of Newtown, helped try to keep Ms Spinner at ease once at the hospital.

“He helped my wife tremendously to reassure her they were doing everything possible for my survival,” Mr Spinner said. “He was just an angel.”

Judy Saunders said Mr Spinner is not just the boss of many people, “but he’s our friend of 30 years. He is good to all of us.

“It was absolutely the most horrific event I’ve ever experienced in all of my 64 years,” she said. “The best I could do is scream. That got everybody’s attention.

“Since this happened we’ve all been trained in CPR and certified,” said Ms Saunders, who added that a defibrillator has been centrally located in the office.

Mr Spinner said he would like his employees to be prepared to save someone while doing business with a client if the situation arises.

Mr Spinner has no memory, he said, of the initial days during his recovery when he was told friends visited him in the hospital. Despite the long recovery back to normalcy, all is back to the way things were for Mr Spinner, except he does have a bit of a new perspective on being here, as detailed at the end of his speech at the ceremony:

“In closing, I hope and pray the good Lord allows me the strength and insight to better understand fully why I was blessed with another chance to continue to enjoy my life. As I have preached to my children over the years, tomorrow is promised to no one, so find some joy each and every day. To all who took the time to get involved, thank you for this new day. I love you all.”

An EMS Award, Award of Merit, and Civilian Award were given to those who were involved in the successful rescue effort. Individuals recognized are Danbury Fire Captain Jamie Schiller, Lieutenant Shea Hanson, Lieutenant Joe Stabile; firefighters Gabe Rivera, Jon Guarnizo, Sean McGowan, and Kevin Sullivan; Paramedic Charles Lanza; EMTs Jason Ferarra and Taylor Alward; Dispatcher Danil Santos; and Judy Saunders, Erin Saunders, Stan Plato, Don Mortifoglio, Caroline Bedan, Rob Manna, Brian Manna, Ryan Clark, and Jon Johannessen.