David Hall, a custodian at Smith Middle School in Glastonbury and member of UE Local 222-27, was honored by the Glastonbury Board of Education in May for his “quick thinking and decisive action” when a student in the middle school cafeteria began showing signs of choking on April 24.

“Mr. Hall who was in the cafeteria at the time immediately recognized the situation and acted without hesitation administering the Heimlich maneuver,” Board of Education Vice Chair Julie Thompson told the Glastonbury Citizen. “In a movement where every second mattered Mr. Hall remained calm and acted with confidence and skill.”

“I honestly felt a kind of terror,” Hall told the UE NEWS. “We train for it in the fire department and it was instinctual to help, but I also didn’t want her to choke or to break a rib, ideally.” Brother Hall has worked for the Glastonbury Board of Education for five years. He is also a member of the Glastonbury Fire Department.