Retired Long Island firefighter meets the good Samaritans who saved his life: ‘I died at that time’

It was a real heart stopper.

A former Long Island volunteer firefighter got the chance Monday to publicly thank the good Samaritans who revived him from a nearly fatal cardiac arrest.

Hauppauge resident Tommy Norchi, 69, had just delivered a fiery speech at a Suffolk County’s H. Lee Dennison Building in January, urging county lawmakers to rebuild a local dam before he sat down — and promptly blacked out.

The Samaritans jumped in to bring him back from the brink.

“He was gray, eyes rolling back, completely unresponsive,” Carol Cherwinski, a recently retired nurse in the right place at the right time, told The Post.

“I remember thinking ‘I guess [my job] isn’t over yet … to the day I die I’ll be doing this,” laughed the Smithtown resident who, by a miracle, specialized in cardiology. 

Norchi returned to the municipal building for an event honoring the team who saved his life while raising awareness for first aid training during National CPR and AED Awareness Week.

“I came here a month later. There were still feathers from my vest on the floor that they cut open…I died at that time,” Norchi said.

“I don’t remember anything, but they said it was a great speech,” joked Norchi, now living life to the fullest with his grandson Jack and lots of time on the water to fish.

A multitude of people like Cherwinski rushed to help Norchi once he slumped and appeared to be on the verge of death.

“He might not have made it,” she said.

Mike Martino and Brian Monahan of County Executive Ed Romaine’s office ran to get an AED and call 911 for an ambulance while two others, Brian Mahon and Shawn Viniotis, were credited for vital and rapid actions.

Tom Gulbransen, who was running the public forum, “put the microphone down and got to work” with Cherwinski and others to start chest compressions and defibrillation in the meeting room.

“We had enough oxygen flowing by the time [first responders] got there,” said Gulbransen, chair of the Suffolk County Council Environmental Quality.

“We were right on it,” added Gulbransen, who is also a lieutenant with the Setauket Fire Department.

Once there was hope, EMS personnel pulled Norchi out into the building’s hallway — as the meeting awkwardly went on with attendees waiting for some good news.

“A few more gave their talks, and then a door opens with someone saying ‘the patient was talking when he got in the ambulance,'” Gulbransen said. “Then I just had a flood of emotion.”

Norchi spent only about two days in the hospital following the incident and said, “I feel like nothing happened.” 

The gravity of his revival is certainly not lost on the jovial grandpa who put in over a decade with the Hauppauge Fire Department, though.

“There’s a lot of times that they perform CPR, and it doesn’t come out with a positive effect,” Norchi said. “In fact, more times than not, the person dies.”

Norchi has greatly thanked his heroes on many occasions since, and Cherwinski said the first thing he told her was, “You’re my angel.” Thank you for being there.'”

“They’re just special people, and that’s all I could say,” added the survivor.

The impromptu rescue team again assembled at the scene Monday with Norchi, Romaine, and others preaching a critical message: get trained in CPR and AED equipment to save more lives.

“It doesn’t take much time to get training,” said Norchi. 

The entire life-saving operation also became a full-circle moment for the man of the hour, who saved his aunt from choking to death on a piece of meat at his sister’s wedding a few years ago.

“Everybody was trying to do the Heimlich maneuver. I said Get out of my way.’ I basically shoved my hand down her throat and took it out,” Norchi said.

“She didn’t have to go to the hospital. The party continued, and it was a great event.”