Councilmember Lambert congratulates lifesaving heroes

January 1, 0001

Summary

Quick action saves man who collapsed outside Courthouse

Story

Four King County Sheriff’s Office security marshals and two facilities security officers were honored today by the Metropolitan King County Council for their emergency response that was credited with saving the life of a man last month.

Councilmember Kathy Lambert, who chairs the Council’s Security Oversight Panel, congratulated the teamwork of the Sheriff’s Office, Facilities Management Division and Department of Public Health in coordinating the training, equipment and staff needed to respond to emergencies and save lives.

“Our law enforcement officers regularly face life-and-death situations, and respond with professional, skilled and efficient service,” said Lambert. “I am very pleased to have this opportunity to shine a spotlight on the everyday work of our employees to keep our citizens safe.”

On May 6, King County Sheriff’s marshals and facilities security responded to a report of a man who had collapsed on the sidewalk near the Fourth Avenue entrance to the King County Courthouse. Sheriff’s Marshals Andre Tuttle, Rick Wentz, David Scontrino, Mark Hawley and facility security Officers Skip Fuller and Lonnie Hampton worked together to perform CPR on the unconscious man. One of the Courthouse’s automatic external defibrillators was also used to shock the patient’s heart before the arrival of emergency medical technicians from the Seattle Fire Department. The patient was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he was treated and survived the ordeal.

In a letter to King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean praised the efforts of the officers who responded.

“These employees should be commended for their actions,” Dean’s letter said. “Without their courage and quick intervention, the patient’s chance to survive would have decreased tremendously. I am extremely proud of all these gentlemen.”

Ramona Brandes, an attorney with the Northwest Defenders Association, witnessed the incident and emergency response and also wrote a letter of commendation: “The quick, calm and coordinated response of these officers clearly saved the life of this citizen at a perilous juncture, and he plainly could not have otherwise survived this medical emergency.”

“We have a high rate of survival from heart attacks in King County due in part to the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places, but more so because of the willingness of bystanders to help in an emergency,” said Michele Plorde, King County Emergency Medical Services Division Director. “We believe that people are willing to perform CPR and use AEDs when it becomes necessary because we have extensive training programs that reach out into the community, including in schools and in the workplace.”
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RECOGNITION

WHEREAS, King County, Washington, is recognized as the best place in the nation to survive a heart attack because of the high level of training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation among residents and first responders; and

WHEREAS, the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health coordinates CPR training and equipment for employees and administers an automatic external defibrillator program in public facilities; and

WHEREAS, on May 6, 2010, King County Sheriff’s marshals and facilities security responded to a report of a man who had collapsed on the sidewalk near the Fourth Avenue entrance to the King County Courthouse; and

WHEREAS, Andre Tuttle, Rick Wentz, David Scontrino, Mark Hawley, and Skip Fuller worked together to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the unconscious man; and

WHEREAS, in addition to performing CPR, this team retrieved and used one of the Courthouse’s automatic external defibrillators to shock the patient’s heart before the arrival of emergency medical technicians from the Seattle Fire Department; and

WHEREAS, the patient was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he was treated and survived the ordeal; and

WHEREAS, the Seattle Fire Department and the Northwest Defenders Association commended the calm, coordinated response and the training, courage, and quick intervention of these men as being responsible for saving the life of the patient;

NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Metropolitan King County Council, recognize

MARSHAL ANDRE TUTTLE,
MARSHAL RICHARD WENTZ,
MARSHAL DAVID SCONTRINO,
MARSHAL MARK HAWLEY,
and OFFICER SKIP FULLER

for their lifesaving work to aid an incapacitated citizen and for illustrating the immeasurable value of the CPR and AED training and equipment coordinated by the King County Department of Public Health.

DATED this fourteenth day of June, 2010.