image description — Firefighter Nicholas Teti, left, Fire Chief Thomas Sammons, firefighter Craig Eggleston and Fire Capt. Matthew Packard after a presentation of certificates at the City Council meeting.

Pittsfield First-Responders Recognized for Lifesaving Efforts on Infant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:17PM / Friday, January 17, 2025Print Story | Email Story

Chief Thomas Sammons congratulates one of the EMTs who responded to the emergency involving an infant last fall.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Multiple first responders were recognized for performing lifesaving measures on an infant in November.

Tuesday's City Council meeting began with Lifesaving Awards to three paramedics, three firefighters, and four police officers. The first responders were recognized for their actions on Nov. 22 "where life-saving measures were performed on an infant."

While not much information can be released, Fire Chief Thomas Sammons said the incident was "one of those calls people will never forget."

He described it as a "low frequency, high stress" incident and that everybody who responded gave it their all and did a fantastic job.

"The outcomes are the outcomes but when people work that hard together, it should be recognized," he said.

Awards were given to paramedics Joseph Carpenter, Matt Williams and Haley Duffy; fire Capt. Matthew Packard, Firefighters Craig Eggleston and Nicholas Teti; Police Officers Robert Horne, James Sena and Shaun Courtney, and Police Sgt. Ryan Williams.

City staff, family, and friends applauded each first responder in Council Chambers.

Sammons said this kind of call puts everybody to the test.

"Captain Packard of the Fire Department sent me a letter the next day after the call explaining the call, what happened, and that the way that everybody worked together, he felt needed recognition," the chief said, adding that he absolutely agreed.

Tags: first responders, recognition event,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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