Fitchburg firefighter saves choking man at Olive Garden

LEOMINSTER, Mass. — An off-duty firefighter had never put his Heimlich maneuver training into practice until Wednesday when he saved a choking victim at an Olive Garden in Leominster.

"You knew right away he was in trouble,” said Barry Hyvarinen of the Fitchburg Fire Department. "Yeah, when you see somebody like that, and he's tapping his wife, he was really tapping her."

Hyvarinen has been trained in the Heimlich maneuver for over 22 years.

The firefighter’s wife was the first to notice the man who was holding his throat in distress.

"He couldn't talk. I asked him if he could talk, could he say anything… There was nothing," said Hyvarinen.

After a few tries, the choking victim coughed up what Hyvarinen believes was a pepper.

When asked if he felt like he saved a life, the firefighter said, “Maybe, yeah I guess. At the time, I guess I did. But like I said, anybody who is trained in it would have done the same thing."

The choking victim’s wife thanked Hyvarinen for saving her husband’s life on her birthday that night.

According to Hyvarinen’s Lieutenant, Rick Jollimore, this quick-thinking is simply what firefighters are trained to do.

"It's nice when you help people on the job, but it carries over when you're off the job, too. You see somebody in distress and Barry goes and helps them out," said Jollimore.

Olive Garden released a statement in response to the incident saying, “We are extremely thankful for the quick actions of the off-duty firefighter who helped a fellow guest in need.”

Cox Media Group