WINNSBORO – While most of Fairfield County was preparing to ring in the New Year on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 31, Megan and Tavaris Brown were facing a clock of a different kind.
For the husband-and-wife duo, both members of the Fairfield County Rescue Squad, the final hours of 2025 weren’t about celebrations or resolutions. They were about the seconds that separate life from death.
The Browns were dispatched after a call came in reporting a possible stroke. But when they arrived on the scene, Megan and Tavaris realized the situation was far more dire: the patient’s heart had stopped. In the high-stakes environment of a cardiac arrest, the margin for error disappears.
What followed was a display of the teamwork that comes from both professional training and a personal bond. Working seamlessly, the Browns immediately began lifesaving interventions. They managed to revive and stabilize the patient, maintaining a pulse until Fairfield County EMS arrived to take over advanced clinical treatment.
“They rehearse, prepare, and commit themselves to readiness so that when the unthinkable happens, hesitation is never an option,” Fairfield County noted of its First Responders in a statement recognizing Megan and Tavaris. “In those critical minutes, their skill and confidence made all the difference.”
The outcome was the best a first responder can hope for: a life saved and a family kept whole for the start of 2026.
In recognition of their decisive action, Fairfield County EMS recently held a ceremony to present the couple with an Appreciation Award. While the award bears their names, officials say the Browns’ actions represent the core mission of the county’s volunteer and professional emergency tiers—courage and compassion in the moments when they matter most.
As Fairfield County moves into the New Year, the story of Megan and Tavaris Brown serves as a poignant reminder of the neighbors who stand ready to answer the call, even when the rest of the world is at a party. Their heroism didn’t just end the year on a high note; it guaranteed a new beginning for a member of their community.
