LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring John Ayers upon the occasion of his
designation as a recipient of the Liberty Medal, the highest honor
bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to
recognize and acknowledge those within our midst who have made signif-
icant contributions to the quality of life therein; and
WHEREAS, From time to time, this Legislative Body takes note of
certain extraordinary individuals it wishes to recognize for their
valued contributions to the success and progress of society and publicly
acknowledge theft endeavors which have enhanced the basic humanity among
us all; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor John Ayers
upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the Liberty Medal,
the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State
Senate; and
WHEREAS, The New York State Senate Liberty Medal was established by
resolution and is awarded to individuals who have merited special
commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts on behalf of
their fellow New Yorkers; and
WHEREAS, As the third shift was winding down on the morning of Febru-
ary 11, 2014, Greg Kurelko, a 46-year-old surface maintenance worker and
third shift group leader at the American Rock Salt mine in Mount Morris,
New York, told fellow workers in the lunch room that he was experiencing
chest pains; and
WHEREAS, While Mr. Kurelko did not know it yet, he was experiencing
what likely would have been a fatal heart attack if it had occurred at
some other place where help was not so swiftly at hand; and
WHEREAS, After initially resisting his co-workers' advice that an
ambulance be called, Mr. Kurelko walked to the changing room, where his
symptoms began worsening, and third shift electrician Colin Keller made
the call for an ambulance; third shift mechanic Gary Morrison helped Mr.
Kurelko back into the lunch room and went to get the mine's resident
emergency medical technician; and
WHEREAS, First shift underground scaler operator John Ayers had
arrived at work early that morning as is his habit; Mr. Ayers, who
possesses extensive emergency rescue experience, having served for 15
years as an EMT with Mount Morris Ambulance and later as Captain for
Cuylerville Ambulance, was summoned from the changing room; upon enter-
ing the lunchroom, Mr. Ayers found Mr. Kurelko slumped over the picnic
table and unconscious; Mr. Ayers instantly hit his page phone code which
alerts the entire mine; he described the situation and called out for
assistance from anyone in the area; and
WHEREAS; Checking Mr. Kurelko's pulse, he discovered Mr. Kurelko had
suffered a massive heart attack and was in full cardiac arrest; taking
his pocket knife out, Mr. Ayers cut Mr. Kurelko's shirt to expose his
chest so the defibrillator pad could be positioned; Mike "Lumpy" Smith,
a first shift surface electrician with Mr. Morrison and Mr. Keller,
swiftly arrived with the defibrillator and trauma bag from a nearby
first aid station; and
WHEREAS, As soon as the pad was positioned on Mr. Kurelko's chest, the
defibrillator went to shock mode; after a single shock, the machine gave
the verbal indication to switch to CPR; Mr. Keller did one cycle of 15
compressions, and Mr. Smith applied the two breaths into the mask; a
second cycle was begun, and during the first or second compression, Mr.
Kurelko opened his eyes and yelled "Ow!", at which point the rescuers
breathed a sigh of joy and relief; and

WHEREAS, While only about five minutes had passed from the time Mr.
Kurelko had slumped to the floor, it was a crucial period of time; with-
out the availability of the rescue equipment and the proximity of well
trained personnel, the incident may have ended in tragedy; and
WHEREAS, It takes a special dedication, a strong desire to help some-
one in a time of need; and
WHEREAS, Observing that special recognition should be given to those
who work so assiduously for the betterment of their communities and
their colleagues, and that they should be acknowledged publicly for
their heroic actions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor John Ayers upon the occasion of his designation as a recipient of
the Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the
New York State Senate; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted John Ayers.