Representing the various departments who received the LIfe Save Awards include, pictured left to right, Mike Gormley, Jacob Pettit, Nick Bleess, Mark Mensing, Corey Survis, Jordan Keesling, who presented the awards on behalf of South Central Minnesota EMS, Tom Fletcher, Adam Grant, Tammy Davis and Steve Brown.

Members of four Faribault County Agencies were recognized with Life Save Awards presented by the South Central Minnesota EMS Regional System on Monday, July 22, at the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office in Blue Earth.

In early July 2024, responders were summoned to a call for help regarding a man becoming unresponsive and not breathing.

Within minutes, a deputy with the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, quickly assessed the victim, and began Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Responders from United Hospital Ambulance, Blue Earth Police, and Blue Earth Fire Department arrived soon after and began to apply Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR, employing advanced equipment such as an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), LUCAS Mechanical Compression Device, and advanced airway management.

As a result of the responders’ efforts, the victim’s pulse returned, and the patient was transported to receive advanced cardiac care.

Successful outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are rare, with about 1 in 10 victims surviving (Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, 2019). In instances where the victims survive, multiple levels of teamwork provide success. In this case, eight responders from four different agencies came together on a moment’s notice to provide efficient, effective, and (ultimately) lifesaving, CPR.

Due to the rarity of these events, responders participating in cardiac arrest saves are awarded “Life Save Awards” for their efforts. The award recipients are Deputy Jacob Pettit and Dispatcher Nick Bleess (Faribault County Sheriff’s Office), Chief Tom Fletcher and Community Service Officer Tammy Davis (Blue Earth Police Department), Kristin Lorenz and Amy Hull (United Hospital District Ambulance), and Bill Rosenau, Mark Mensing, and Corey Survis (Blue Earth Fire Department).

The South-Central Minnesota EMS Regional System provides continuing education, medical direction, critical incident services, and fire rehab support to Ambulance, Fire, and Law Enforcement agencies in Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca, and Watonwan Counties.