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Member
Recognition
Rhode Island National Guard’s “Boss Lift” to Camp Shelby, Mississippi
From Left to right: C.O. Steward Robert Morse - C.O. Linda Ault - Capt. Charles Dede -
Lt. Anthony Atella - Capt. Vincent Lepizzera
Captains Vincent Lepizzera and Charles Dede were part of a 33-member contingency from Rhode Island that flew to Camp Shelby, Mississippi to observe the final days of training for the 1207th Transportation Company of the Rhode Island Army National Guard. They were part of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve group which was flown to Mississippi courtesy of The Air National Guard on a C-130J. The final days of training for the1207th Transportation Company were completed on September 21 and 22, 2006. The Company is being deployed to Iraq. Correctional Officer/Steward Robert Morse (Medium Moran), Correctional Officer Lieutenant Anthony Atella (ISC) and Correctional Officer Linda Ault (ISC) are all members of the 1207th.
John Gorman’s Cancer Story
On May 5th, 2004, after complaining of severe headaches, John was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Two days later, during a five-hour operation, the doctors removed as much of the tumor as possible without damaging healthy brain tissue. After the healing process, John began chemotherapy and radiation. This worked for about six months; then the tumors started growing again. A blood test determined that John was missing a gene that would allow him to react to conventional chemotherapy.
After consulting with doctors form Dana-Farber, John was offered a spot in a cutting-edge clinical trial. Included in the trial were two drugs that had never been used together for the treatment of brain cancer. After a rough six months of severe side effects, the doctors found the correct dosage, and drugs to control his side effects. John’s tumors are just about gone.
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 2006-01-04
– Correctional Officer Credited
With Saving Victims From Early Morning
Cranston House Fire
Jay Johansen, a Correctional Officer
at the Medium Moran Facility, was on
his day off. He had just dropped off
a friend who lived off Pontiac Avenue
in the Oaklawn section of Cranston.
As he left his friends house and started
home, he encountered what he first thought
was heavy fog. As he drove through it,
he realized it was smoke coming from
a home at 168 Richard Street. It was
about 1:30 a.m. in the morning. As he
quickly surveyed the situation, he observed
flames coming from the first floor of
the three-story home.
Jay stopped his car in front of the
home and got out. He was “taken
back” by the fact that there seemed
to be no one around. He then heard someone
yelling. He immediately called 911 on
his cell phone and started up the driveway
where he encountered a woman and a small
child. They were shaken and afraid to
move because of the flames shooting
from the burning house. Jay reassured
them and escorted them to safety out
in the street. It was at this point
that the woman told Officer Johansen
that there were people living on all
three floors of the home.
Jay gave the woman his jacket and knowing
there were more residents still in the
home, he made his way to the rear of
the home. Just as he started in the
back door a couple exited. Jay was able
to ascertain from them that they resided
on the second floor. They got safely
in to the back yard. At this point Jay
could still hear yelling, so he proceeded
through the back door and began to crawl
up the stairs. He said the smoke was
heavy but he did not encounter any fire.
He made his way to the second floor
landing where the smoke was extremely
heavy. Visibility was zero but Jay could
hear a woman’s voice calling out
for help. He called out to her and encouraged
her to come down the stairs. She was
reluctant because of the heavy smoke
and her difficulty in breathing. Jay
cautioned her not to go toward the front
of the house where the fire was more
prominent and instructed her to stay
low. He kept inching up the stairway
through the smoke and finally saw a
shadow. He reached out and was able
to grab the woman. He told her to put
her arms around his neck and hang on.
Jay then guided the woman out of the
house to safety. Cranston Fire had just
arrived as Jay and the woman exited.
 All
five occupants and Officer Johansen
were transported to Rhode Island Hospital
via Cranston Rescue. They were later
released after being treated for smoke
inhalation. During an interview with
channel 10 News, Jay said “I don’t
know if I saved their lives, I just
tried to help out.” “I guess
I was just in the right place at the
right time.” “To see a real
fire that close up was very scary.”
“I hope someone else would do the
same thing, after all, it could be my
house.”
During the same interview, Jay said
he kept thinking about the four-year-old
boy. Tricia and Giovanni Paloitti were
the mother and child that Jay first
encountered after getting out of his
car. He said he rode in the same rescue
with them on the way to the hospital
and was struck by the sadness that Giovanni
displayed after realizing he had lost
all of his Christmas presents. A father
himself, Jay said, “I felt sad
for Giovanni.”
As this article was being written, arrangements
were being made to reunite Jay and Giovanni
so that Jay could give him some Christmas
presents that were left over from the
RIBCO Children’s Christmas Party.
According to Richard Ferruccio, RIBCO
President, “We should have eight
or ten nice presents for Jay to give
Giovanni.
”Correctional Officer Jay Johansen
works at the Medium Moran Facility on
the 3-11 shift. Jay started his career
at the Department of Corrections in
October of 2004. His actions during
the early morning events of January
4, 2006 make him a “real life hero.”
Jay is a shinning example of the men
and women who work “Rhode Island’s
Toughest Beat.”
 2005-11-27
– Correctional Officer Manuel Cortez
Credited With Saving Comrade
Correctional Officer Tisha Alhassan
was on her way to work for the 11-7
shift at the Women’s Division on
November 27, 2005 when her car hydroplaned
as she was exiting route 95 at the Pontiac
Avenue exit. Officer Alhassan was thrown
through the windshield landing on the
roadway. She later remembers seeing
her vehicle roll down the embankment,
end-over-end. She also remembers trying
to wave her right arm to alert oncoming
traffic of her presence in the road.
Several people stopped. One of those
people was Correctional Officer Manuel
Cortez, from Minimum Security.
Officer Cortez was the only person who
offered assistance and the only person
to talk to her and comfort her. Officer
Cortez stopped the bleeding to Alhassan’s
head by using his shirt. He covered
her with blankets and stayed with her
until the rescue crew arrived. He also
notified her husband and called the
Women’s Division to alert them
to the accident. During recovery, Officer
Alhassan reflected back on the accident
and is convinced that the actions taken
by Officer Cortez probably saved her
life. All of us in the Brotherhood are
grateful that Tisha is recovering from
this horrendous accident and extremely
proud of the actions of Officer Cortez.
 1978-09-19
– Correctional Officer Injured
By Inmates In Vicious Assault
RIBCO is proud to recognize fellow Officer
Dana Lassy, a 28 year veteran who was
attacked by a group of inmates while
working in maximum security, he was
stabbed six times with two foot metal
rods. He was pronounced dead on site
but was resuscitated while in the ambulance.
Within thirteen months Officer Lassy
was back on the job and continues to
work at Rhode Island Adult Correctional
Institute.
The
Rhode Island Brotherhood honors fellow
officer Dana Lassy and recognizes his
bravery beyond the call of duty.
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