Emergency responders in Manchester made every effort to save a man who suffered a heart attack while shoveling Tuesday morning. He didn't make it, so they did the only thing left to do and finished the job.
Miroslaw Dabrowski, 57, collapsed while shoveling his roof on Scott Drive around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Manchester Fire Chief David Billings said.
Police arrived first and climbed onto the roof to perform CPR. Firefighters took over, using an automatic CPR device to administer chest compressions while they put Dabrowski on a back board and lowered him to the ground, Billings said.
They tried to resuscitate Dabrowski on the way to the hospital, but he couldn't be saved.
Billings said emergency responders can feel helpless when a life is lost, so they went back to Scott Drive and did the only thing they could: finished shoveling Dabrowski's roof while his family was at the hospital.
They felt compelled to help and knew it would be the last thing on the family's mind when they returned home, according to Billings.
He said Dabrowski leaves behind a wife and large family.