Channahon first responders honored
By Jeanne Millsap Correspondent December 4, 2012 1:32PM
Some of Channahon’s finest were given commendations at a recent village board meeting for what was called “flawless patient care coordination” in their response to an emergency situation in the fall.
On the call, officers in the Channahon Police Department and firefighters and paramedics in the Channahon Fire Department saved the life of a village resident who had suffered a heart attack and had no heart beat or respiration when the emergency responders arrived.
“Tonight we recognize the members of this incident with the Company Citation Commendation Bar,” Fire Chief John Petrakis told the village board. “Their actions demonstrated a high standard of performance, led to the successful completion of the district’s mission, and were a credit to the fire district and village.”
Receiving the commendation were police Sgt. Jon Jackubowski and Officers Matthew Brooks and Daniel Kostal; fire Lts. Matt Skole and Jake Randich; Firefighter/Paramedics Ryan Jandura and Kurt Liebermann; and Probationary Firefighter Chad McGinnins.
“It feels good,” Brooks said of being able to save a life. “During training, it’s hard to realize how you’re going to use it all.”
“It’s a good feeling when you can do something really positive for the community,” Kostal said.
The three police officers were on patrol when they received the information about the 911 call and were the first to arrive on the scene. After a fast assessment of the patient’s condition and a check of the patient’s airways, they immediately began CPR. The woman was unconscious, Brooks said, didn’t have a heartbeat, and wasn’t breathing.
A few minutes later, the firefighters and paramedics arrived and assessed the patient again to find she was still not breathing on her own. They took over the CPR efforts, and simultaneously to the CPR being conducted, Brooks said, the responders carried her down the stairs of her home on a backboard, into the ambulance.
Kostal and Brooks said it’s not the first time they have saved a life, but it’s nice to get recognized. Too often, they said, the public only sees them giving tickets along the roadside.
“It’s always nice to be recognized,” Brooks said, “especially for our families. Sometimes they don’t realize everything we do.”
