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Crime & Safety

Fenton Firefighters, Police Officer Honored for Saving Man's Life

Fire and police chiefs present them with awards at city council meeting.

When Patrolman Roger Ellis, of the Fenton Police Department, raced upstairs at a house on West Rockwell Street last February, he ended up helping save a life.

Ellis was the first to reach the male resident after the 911 call went out at 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011, said Chief of Police Rick Aro. Ellis determined the man, who wasn’t breathing, was in full cardiac arrest. He placed the man in position for CPR and began efforts to resuscitate the man.

Moments later, more rescuers from the arrived, also performing CPR on the patient, Aro said. STAT EMS personnel arrived quickly as well, and the man’s pulse and breathing returned as a result of the care provided at the scene.

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STAT EMS took the man, via ambulance to Genesys Regional Medical Center. He returned home after several weeks in the hospital, said Fire Chief Bob Cairnduff.

For their efforts in saving the man’s life, Lt. Nick Will and firefighters Josh Sturgis, Matt Hadfield and Mike Johnson of the Fenton Fire Department received CPR Save Pins and letters of Commendation from Cairnduff. In addition, Cairnduff recognized STAT EMS personnel Charles Bowen, Adam Luman and Chris Samon for their roles.

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Aro presented Ellis with the departmental service award for Life Saving.

“Thanks to the efforts of our personnel, the police officers, and the STAT EMS crew, the man’s life was saved. All responders involved that day utilized their training and provided professional and quality care to a resident of Fenton,” Cairnduff said.

Fenton’s 911 dispatch center staff recognized right away how serious the call was, he said. In addition, those who responded were battling a huge snowstorm of 8-10 inches of snow that night. Everyone worked together, and they saved someone’s life, Cairnduff said.

Resident Cherie Smith said, if Fenton didn’t have its own the outcome of the emergency could have been very different. Because the dispatcher sent the first responders in a timely manner and they began CPR right away, the man is alive, she said.

Mayor Sue Osborn congratulated the award recipients, saying how fortunate Fenton is to have such a dedicated group serving it.

“Thank you for serving our community and making it safer for all of us,” said City Manager Lynn Markland.

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