The Office of Mayor Brubaker is proud to announce the selection of several staff members as Employees of the Month. We congratulate Michael Eichenlaub, Chad Arcaba, Scottie Slauterbeck, Brandon Borrelli, and Billy Madden. Please take a moment to read about their selection and join us in thanking them for their excellent service.
Michael Eichenlaub, Chad Arcaba, Scottie Slauterbeck – The Elyria Fire Department
Lieutenant Michael Eichenlaub, Firefighter/Paramedic Chad Arcaba, and Firefighter Scottie Slauterbeck have served with the Elyria Fire Department for a combined 37 years. Chief Joe Pronesti nomited the three men for Employees of the Month following their life-saving response to what otherwise would have been a tragic incident at an East Park Recreation Center.
On October 28th, 2024 Engine Company 1 received a call for a “full arrest” along the trails at East Rec. Eichenlaub, Arcaba, and Slauterbeck arrived to the scene and found a collapsed runner with in full cardiac arrest, not breathing and without a pulse. The three men immediately began resuscitation efforts. They utilized a Lifepak cardiac monitor, a compression device, and administered several rounds of heart-starting drugs. Lifecare arrived with further advanced life support and together the crews transferred the patient to University Hospital.
The patient survived and, thankfully, his family reports that his outlook is very good. There is no doubt that the actions of Engine Company 1 saved this man’s life. As Chief Pronesti wrote in his nomination, “This man survived because of the equipment our department offers to our residents and because of our dedication to continued training. I am proud of the EMS system we provide to this community, and I’m proud of this crew’s actions that day.”
We asked Lt. Eichenlaub if there’s anything he’d like to say in response to his nomination. “This is a 24-hour, seven days a week, 365 days a year job. We spend about a third of our time away from our families, if not more. Our families’ world doesn’t stop just because we are on shift. We are able to do what we do because they support us. So I just want to give them that recognition and thank all of them for what they do, so we can do what we need to for the city,” he said.
Likewise, Arcaba added that he and his crew are able to do their jobs because of “the hard work and sacrifice our families make to support the Elyria Fire Department while we are on duty and away for 24 hours.” We asked Slauterbeck if there’s anything he’d like Elyrians to know about his work. “No matter what kind of day you are having we are here all day, every day, no matter what, for the health and wellbeing for all of our citizens.
Thank you to Chief Pronesti for highlighting the heroic efforts of Engine Company 1 this month, and thank you to all three men for their outstanding service
Brandon Borrelli and Billy Madden – Building Department.
Brandon Borelli is a Commercial Building Inspector who has worked for the City of Elyria for five years. Billy Madden, an Electrical Inspector, has worked for the City for 15 years. Together they were nominated for Employees of the Month by Darryl Farkas, Chief Building Official for the City of Elyria.
Borelli and Madden were assigned to inspect a kitchen redesign at a local restaurant. The inspection process is meant to ensure the new facility is ready to operate safely for both staff and patrons. Unfortunately, in their due diligence to the two men discovered a number of issues preventing the inspection from passing.
However, the restaurant was preparing for an event that evening and Borelli and Madden recognized the burden the issue would place on the business owners. Rather than following the normal protocol of rescheduling another inspection in the future, both men took it upon themselves to stay and work on the issue in order to provide the owners the best chance possible of staying open.
In just a matter of hours, Borelli and Madden were able to identify the specific violations and partnered with the workers to fix the issues. Importantly, the violations could have posed a safety hazard to both patrons and staff at the restaurant. The owners were extremely grateful that the issues were identified and any potential further issues were avoided. Importantly, thanks to their willingness to go the extra mile, the restaurant was able to continue operating and serving their patrons at that evening’s event.
We asked both men if there’s anything they’d like to say in response to being nominated for Employees of the Month. Borelli replied that he wants Elyrians to know that their department is truly dedicated to the public’s best interest and safety, while also doing everything they can to support business owners. Madden told us that he is proud of the work he does, and he’s grateful that his colleagues in the Building Department “treat each other like family.”
The work of our building inspectors is often done behind the scenes, and at times it’s a thankless job. But what they do, day in and day out, keeps our businesses open while ensuring we all stay safe. We are proud of their willingness to go the extra mile that night, and we thank them for their dedication to keeping this City running.
Together, these five men exemplify what it means to serve Elyria and we are grateful to have them.