Safety is a way of life for us at UGI. Part of having a good safety culture is recognizing that safety does not stop when you leave UGI property. This is especially true for our UGI employees who spend time outside the office as first responders.
Chris Blosenski, Environmental Engineer II, is a Senior Lieutenant with Lititz Fire Company, who was recently recognized along with more than a dozen other emergency medical service workers in Lancaster County for saving a man’s life.
On December 27, a Lancaster County man collapsed in his home, falling unconscious and not breathing. According to reports, his family called 911 and began CPR. Police officers arrived at the scene and took over the CPR efforts, as well as deployed an AED. The Lititz Fire Company and EMS crews arrived and provided high-performance CPR, as the EMS team ran an IV and performed endotracheal intubation. He was transported to UPMC Lititz Emergency Room for additional treatment. Thanks to everyone’s quick response, he was able to make a full recovery.
UGI’s Chris Blosenski was among the many who responded to this incident. He, along with fellow first responders, were recognized on January 22 at a ceremony at the Lititz Fire Company, where the gentleman was present to personally thank them for saving his life. Chris received a Clinical Save Commendation from the Emergency Health Services Federation Inc. for assisting EMS in the prehospital care extended to a citizen.
“It’s what we train for and what we are expected to do, but this time, everything fell in place at the right time and the gentleman was able to come home,” said Chris. “I was one small part of the large effort. It was an honor to shake the gentleman’s hand and give him a hug. Far too often we don’t have success like this, so this one feels good.”
Chris originally became a first responder when he was 16 years old. He spent about 2 years with the fire company before he moved to Pittsburgh for college and to start his career. After 10 years, he moved back to Lititz and rejoined the fire company immediately. He’s been with the Lititz Fire Company for 6 years and serves as the Senior Lieutenant.
“While I am appreciative of Chris’ attention to keeping UGI personnel safe from an environmental perspective during our operations, I am even prouder of his dedication to keeping the community safe through his firefighting efforts,” said supervisor Chris Langman, Manager Environmental Engineering. “Those efforts are not acknowledged as often as they should be, so it is great to see the award issued through the community ceremony. As humble as Chris is, I can see how proud he was about the award.”
“Lititz is an amazing community that appreciates the Lititz Fire Company. I’m honored I get to serve them and that is why I continue to be a first responder.,” said Blosenski. “To all of UGI, take care of your heart and learn CPR.”
UGI is extremely proud of Chris for not only his safety mindset at UGI, but for his efforts supporting his local community through the fire department. We thank you, Chris, for your dedication, courage, and commitment to safety and being there for your community, and we congratulate you on receiving this commendation.