I thought of him immediately…I just wanted some recognition for him.”

Arlene Miguel on why she nominated Jesus Sanchez

Jesus is a fantastic person. And everybody we talked to in town — firefighters, policemen, they all know him — everybody said you picked the right guy… It feels good.”

Jason Lawrence

The red Lawrence Air Systems trucks lined the side of the road as workers moved with purpose around the Barrington property.

Inside the attic of the home, men cut holes for air conditioning vents. In the back yard, workers ran lines from the large compressor unit into the home. Outside in the driveway, Brian Lawrence used snippers to prep a piece of metal duct-work.

The hum of activity was all part of the company’s annual program to recognize the efforts of area first responders. On Saturday, Jan. 7, a team from Lawrence Air Systems installed a new, ducted air conditioning system into Jesus Sanchez’s home for free. Sanchez is an EMT and firefighter for the Barrington Fire Department. 

Aaron Lawrence said Barrington resident Arlene Miguel nominated Sanchez for the recognition. 

“Our office reached out to our clients and asked them to nominate folks in the area who go above and beyond,” Lawrence said. “Arlene couldn’t say enough nice things about Jesus — how compassionate he was during her husband’s illness. The multiple visits he made to the house.”

On Saturday, Miguel stopped by Sanchez’s home for a first-hand look at the work. Miguel said she used to work with Sanchez’s late wife Cara at Hampden Meadows School.

“… but even before that, when my husband was ill, I had to call rescue, and Jesus came, he was on call that day,” Miguel said. “It was the first time I had to call rescue. There were many other times after that, but I was so shaken I was crying. I’ll never forget the hug. It was the hug that did it. All it takes is a hug. He just let me cry on his shoulder for 10 minutes.”

Miguel said she was proud to nominate Sanchez for the program.

“I thought of him immediately,” she said, referring to Sanchez. “…I just wanted some recognition for him. 

“It feels so good. I love for people to get recognized who deserve it. I did that for many years with my teachers. If they should have gotten an award, I nominated them.”

Hugs

Sanchez shared more hugs on Saturday morning — some with Miguel and others with the folks from Lawrence Air Systems. 

Sanchez, a 14-year veteran of the Barrington Fire Department, said he was overcome with the generosity of the local company and its employees. More than a dozen people volunteered their time to install the air conditioning system in Sanchez’s home. 

“I can’t wait to wake up to go to work. It’s very rewarding,” Sanchez said. “I’m speechless. I’m so grateful. You do what people call ‘work.’ I like what I do. And to be rewarded doing this, it’s pretty special. I have no words to describe it. And how selfless it is — they’re giving their time to honor you, for something you do and choose to do because you want to.”

Jason Lawrence said his company was happy to recognize Sanchez.

“I’d say this is why we do this. This is a people business, we just happen to do HVAC (heating, venting, air conditioning). So this is what we do. This is how we give back — we do it through HVAC,” Lawrence said. “Jesus is a fantastic person. And everybody we talked to in town — firefighters, policemen, they all know him — everybody said you picked the right guy… It feels good.”

Aaron Lawrence said the first responder recognition program is in its second year. Last year, the company installed air conditioning in a Portsmouth Police officer’s home. 

“My son’s a firefighter and I started to see firsthand what they give,” Aaron Lawrence said. “They give something of themselves that I don’t think a lot of people appreciate. And so this is just a way we can give back.”