Red Cross Honors Lifesaving Heroes

Tom Brown and Patrick Mainolfi are Red Cross Lifesaving Heroes. They are staff members are New Canaan High School and used the Heimlich maneuver to save the life of a student who was choking at school.

"I just knew right away I had to do something," said Brown. "He had a bottle top stuck in his throat."

Both Brown and Mainolfi said they used skills they were taught as former state employees.

"I’m just glad we were in the right place at the right time," Mainolfi said.

They are just some of local heroes the Red Cross honored this year. Hundreds of people gathered for the 18th annual luncheon in Hartford Thursday.

NBC Connecticut anchors Heidi Voight and Ted Koppy emceed the event.

"Our heroes luncheon today honors those who have gone above and beyond the call of their community, by saving lives and stepping up to be leaders," Richard Branigan, CEO of the Red Cross, Connecticut, and Rhode Island Chapter, said.

He said it's a small thank you for their big acts of kindness and caring.

"They consider themselves to be ordinary citizens, but they've done extraordinary things," Branigan said.

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