Methuen firefighter David Broadhurst will be recognized by The Methuen Exchange Club for his recent good deed. (Courtesy photograph.)
A Methuen firefighter is being recognized for saving a newborn’s life.
Firefighter David Broadhurst has been named Firefighter of the Year by the Exchange Club of Methuen and is set to be celebrated by the civic group at their 24th Annual Recognition Dinner and Awards Night on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
The award is being presented to Broadhurst for his role in helping pregnant local Renee Dupuis deliver her baby boy, who was in breach position, at her home in June. He arrived on scene two minutes after a 911 call was placed, ready to jump into action with fellow firefighters Rick Talbot, Ed Doerr, Matt Coco and Cooper Brown. Broadhurst was able to unstick the baby’s shoulder and safely deliver the infant. The crew suctioned the baby’s mouth three times before he started to breathe. Dupuis and the child, Brayden Joseph, were transported to Lawrence General Hospital.
A 23-year firefighting veteran, Broadhurst had not yet delivered a baby before Brayden Joseph. “This was a really unique situation with the baby being breached. It was very tense. When the baby opened his eyes and started to breathe, we all felt relieved,” the firefighter said in a statement. “We knew he was alive and the mood changed.”
Methuen Fire Chief Tim Sheehy commended Broadhurst and his team for their efforts, describing the call’s outcome as “outstanding.”
The Methuen Exchange Club’s 24th Annual Recognition Dinner and Awards Night begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Merrimack Valley Golf Club, 210 Howe St., Methuen. For event information, contact Jack MacLeod at 978-314-5081 or Carrie Lavallee at 978-204-2569.