08/30/2026
Joint Effort and Swift Action Highlight Emergency Response at Dutchess County Fair
On Friday afternoon, August 28, emergency personnel responded to a medical emergency involving an unresponsive individual inside Barn 30 at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.
Rhinebeck Fire Department Firefighter/EMT Erik Stroka and Skylar Jackson, an Albany Med Registered Nurse and former EMT, were in Barn 30 when the emergency occurred and immediately joined Dutchess County Fair EMS personnel in providing care to the patient. Nearby Rhinebeck Fire Department personnel also responded to the emergency, including Firefighter/EMT Thomas Beichert, who became directly involved in the resuscitation efforts. Stroka and Beichert also serve as Firefighter/EMTs with the City of Poughkeepsie and City of Kingston Fire Departments, respectively.
Working together, responders provided continuous resuscitative care, including CPR and use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Additional Rhinebeck Fire Department personnel assisted with the overall emergency response, and upon the arrival of Empress Emergency Medical Services, Paramedics Abby Buring and Nicole Ledoux joined the ongoing resuscitation and provided advanced life support care. Buring is also a member of the Rhinebeck Fire Department. Following continued CPR and multiple defibrillations, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved.
The patient was transported by Empress ambulance to Northern Dutchess Hospital, with Rhinebeck Fire Department EMS personnel accompanying the unit and assisting with continued patient care en route.
Following arrival at Northern Dutchess Hospital, arrangements were made to transfer the patient to a higher level of care at Vassar Brothers Medical Center via LifeNet helicopter. Because the standard fairgrounds landing area was being utilized for event parking, Rhinebeck Fire Department personnel established and staffed an alternate air-medical landing zone at nearby Rhinebeck High School to facilitate the transfer.
This incident demonstrates the critical importance of immediate CPR, early defibrillation, and coordinated emergency medical care. From the initial resuscitation through ground transport and subsequent air-medical transfer, numerous individuals and agencies worked together toward the common goal of providing the patient with the highest level of care possible.
The Rhinebeck Fire Department commends Dutchess County Fair EMS, Empress Emergency Medical Services, New York State Police, and Dutchess County Fair Security and Administration for their teamwork and professionalism throughout this incident.
We are proud of our members who stepped forward to assist and grateful to everyone involved for the cooperation and teamwork demonstrated throughout the response.
