To protect and to serve...

So if you can possibly think of anything worse than losing your toddler a few days before Fathers Day, please don’t tell me.

When we dial 911, they respond—in most cases almost instantly.

And when they need help, they too call 911. For police, the dreaded dispatch is "officer down!” And for anyone involved in Emergency Services the call about an unresponsive child in a backyard swimming pool is equally harrowing.

As is often the case, police arrived first on the chaotic scene.
A cruiser rushed a mile to deliver the precious cargo to a waiting ambulance.

Springfield police blocked traffic along the hospital route to allow the ambulance to make better time. A firefighter and police officer performed CPR all along the way.

Despite this seamless cooperation between emergency responders and the frantic initial attempt at revival by her father, the little girl is gone. A family devastated beyond words.

Jesus “Ricky” Arocho is an Amherst Police officer. A day after the unspeakable event, off-duty fellow officers descended on his house and dismantled and removed the above ground pool. And on Saturday they attended in mass the funeral service.

Please send whatever you can (if only your prayers.)

"The Arocho Family Fund"
c/o Peoples Savings Bank
56 Amity Street
Amherst, MA 01002