Sanitation Crew Goes 'Above and Beyond'

Three Sanitary District 1 employees are being praised for their care of an elderly woman who last week had fallen and injured herself.

Ayala Ferrara, of North Woodmere, said that she was home when she heard screams, followed by sobbing, coming from her neighbor’s backyard. When she went to see what was going on, she found her regular sanitation crew had sat the woman down, tended to her wounds and called 911.

“Their quick response and thoughtful instinct to help made all the difference in the world,” Ferrara wrote in a letter to the commissioners. “I must say I was not the slightest bit surprised at how these men reacted to this emergency. I have known them to be the best ever. They always greet you with a smile and a kind word — they go above and beyond.”

The men on the crew are Anthony Alfano, Mark Magliaro and Manny Azcona III. They waited with the injured woman until a family member was able to tend to her, Ferrara said.

“I’m very proud of their reaction and how they take care of their residents,” said George Pappas, superintendent of the district. “At Sanitary District 1, we take a lot of pride in helping the residents. We want to be here for the community, not just pick up their garbage.”