Photo provided
Corp. Craig Hilchey, pictured third from right, was awarded the Hometown Hero Award at last month’s Clinton County Firefighters’ Association Award Banquet in Altona. Pictured, right to left, are CCFA President Paul Parent, Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay), Hilchey, Firefighter of the Year Conrad LaVarnway, EMS Provider of the Year Willis Tromblee, CCFA Lifetime Service Hall of Fame inductee Richard Carpentier, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro) and Kelly Donoghue.
PLATTSBURGH | Ryan Wood was lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding, when Plattsburgh City Police Corporal Craig Hilchey arrived.
A 42-year law enforcement veteran, Hilchey wasn’t the first on the scene. But he had extensive experience as an EMT and served in the Air Force for 20 years.
One look at Wood, and he knew the situation was critical.
What happened next earned Hilchey the Clinton County Firefighters' Association’s Hometown Hero Award last month, an honor bestowed for exemplary community service.
Hilchey called for an ambulance and stood by the 21-year-old, watching over him, making sure his injuries weren’t exacerbated when he was picked up by first responders.
A doctor that later treated Wood said that moment of quick-thinking and protection saved his life.
The accident happened on a cold January night last year.
Wood had been out with his friends, walking along the streets of Plattsburgh, when he slipped on a patch of ice and fell backward, hitting the back of his head.
His friends tried to cover him up, keep him warm.
They didn’t know that Wood had fractured his skull. His brain was bleeding.
The recovery process, for Wood, was long.
But thanks to Hilchey, and the New York State Police, who called in the incident, he’d survived.
For his work, Hilchey was presented the Clinton County Firefighters’ Association’s award by Wood’s step-father, Chuck Kostyk, former chief of the Cadyville Fire Department, and Plattsburgh Town Councilman.
“With the job, there’s a lot of negative issues we have to deal with,” Hilchey told The Sun.
“I’m very appreciative.”
Hilchey said that he was just doing his job that night.
“With this, I was recognized and awarded for doing my job.”
He also received recognition for his efforts from the American Red Cross last April.
In their nomination letter, the Cadyville Fire Department said that without Hilchey’s quick intervention, the outcome for Wood could’ve been much worse:
“He will forever be a Hometown Hero for saving this young man’s life.”
AWARD WINNERS
Three additional men were also inducted into the Clinton County Firefighters’ Association Lifetime Service Hall of Fame: Chazy Fire Department’s Richard Carpentier, who has served as a firefighter and public safety official since 1959; Saranac Fire Department’s Harold Ryan, who has served since the 1960s and held a seat on the Board of Commissioners for over two decades; and Robert Duquette, Sr., who first joined the Beekmantown Fire Department in 1961.
Willis Tromblee, Beekmantown Fire Department, was awarded EMS Provider of the Year. Firefighter of the Year went to Conrad LaVarnway, also of the Beekmantown Fire Department, for his selfless service to the department and the community for over 13 years.
