In an emergency situation, people often depend on emergency responders and 911 dispatchers to help.
In seven stories of selflessness, people in need never thought their mail carriers would be the one to save the day.
On Thursday several postal workers were honored as heroes.
Cassandra Villano, 19, was doing yard work at her home in Pittston last May, when she felt a sharp pain in her hand. "I pulled it out and I saw the snake right on my hand. I passed out because I'm deathly afraid of them," Villano said.
As it turns out she had good reason to be afraid. It was a venomous copperhead snake. Luckily, Villano's postal carrier, Joseph Clark, was close by.
"I talked to the 911 operator and asked would it help if I tried to draw the venom out. He said it wouldn't hurt," explained Clark. He sucked the venom out of Villano's hand and stayed until an ambulance arrived.
Clark was honored Thursday at the Scranton Main Post Office on Stafford Avenue, along with six other postal workers, for being a hero.
"He's more than just a mail carrier to me, he's almost like family," Villano said.
The honorees said they are in the same neighborhoods every day so they can tell when something is wrong or out of the ordinary.
Terry House is a letter carrier in Tioga County. "I was delivering the route and there were flames coming out of a barn of one of my customers out there," recounted House.
It was March of last year when postal worker House told the owner of that barn there was a fire. Then House helped the owner get all of the animals out f the burning barn safely.
"Kind of a second nature thing for me because the people out there, they're our customers, but they're our friends," House said.
In seven stories of selflessness, people in need never thought their mail carriers would be the one to save the day.
On Thursday several postal workers were honored as heroes.
Cassandra Villano, 19, was doing yard work at her home in Pittston last May, when she felt a sharp pain in her hand. "I pulled it out and I saw the snake right on my hand. I passed out because I'm deathly afraid of them," Villano said.
As it turns out she had good reason to be afraid. It was a venomous copperhead snake. Luckily, Villano's postal carrier, Joseph Clark, was close by.
"I talked to the 911 operator and asked would it help if I tried to draw the venom out. He said it wouldn't hurt," explained Clark. He sucked the venom out of Villano's hand and stayed until an ambulance arrived.
Clark was honored Thursday at the Scranton Main Post Office on Stafford Avenue, along with six other postal workers, for being a hero.
"He's more than just a mail carrier to me, he's almost like family," Villano said.
The honorees said they are in the same neighborhoods every day so they can tell when something is wrong or out of the ordinary.
Terry House is a letter carrier in Tioga County. "I was delivering the route and there were flames coming out of a barn of one of my customers out there," recounted House.
It was March of last year when postal worker House told the owner of that barn there was a fire. Then House helped the owner get all of the animals out f the burning barn safely.
"Kind of a second nature thing for me because the people out there, they're our customers, but they're our friends," House said.
