2012 Lifesaving Awards Photo Gallery I

Shown from left:  Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson, Paramedic Jessica Bowers, EMT Aaron Wiemann, and Deputy Chief Steve Kotraba.  Bowers and Wiemann were recognized for their work on resuscitating a child at a grade school.

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Truck 27 (Capt. Duane Daniels, Firefighters Chad Vancil, Steven Womack and Willie Smith) responded to a boat in distress at Columbia Bottoms and removed the stranded civilians to safety.  Job well done!

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

While off duty, Firefighter Steve Niehaus witnessed a vehicle crash into River des Peres.  Without regard to his safety, FF Nienhaus entered the water and rescued the victim from his submerged vehicle and was able to safely get the victim to the shoreline until the rescue companies arrived.

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Truck 30C (Captain William Pollihan, Firefighters Marcus Cannon, Galen Taylor and Frank Abohamde) and Medic 13 (FF/Paramedic Derek Reiger and EMT Aaron Wiemann) were called to assist a patient suffering with breathing and speech problems.  It was quickly determined the patient was in cardiac arrest.  Without question, the outstanding work of these crews saved this patient's life. 

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Pumper 2 was dispatched to the Mississippi River for a person in the water.  Upon arrival, the crew was pointed by bystanders to a person in the water up against a barge, clinging for life.  Firefighter Eric Deeken quickly grabbed the rescue rope off the pumper and began running towards the victim.  Once on the barge, he secured the rope and lowered it to the victim.  Once the rope was secured around the victim, the rescue crew successfully pulled him to safety.  Without FF Deeken's quick thinking, the victim would have surely drowned.

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Truck 30C (Captain Earl Epstein, Firefighters Joseph Ross, Marcus Cannon and Frank Abohamde) and Medic 13 (Paramedic Michelle Vaught and EMT Aaron Wiemann)received a call for a "person down."  Upon arrival, they found the patient in full arrest.  Thanks to all their efforts, the patient had return of spontaneous circulation and was admitted to a hospital.

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

On Sept. 11, 2011, the Fire Department received a call for a potential jumper from the Eads Bridge.  While a St. Louis Police Lieutenant was negotiating with the distraught individual, Firefighters Wayman Brown and Jamie Randall donned their rappelling and safety gear.  They positioned themselves strategically behind the would-be jumper.  When the Police Lieutenant gave his cue, Randall and Brown quickly apprehended the individual; pulling him to safety.

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Medic 5B (Paramedic Tiffany Barr and FF/EMT Christopher Bradley) and Truck 20C (Captain Christopher Molitor, Firefighters Timothy Mahnken, Joseph Ross, Barry Brown and Frank Carter) were dispatched urgent to a respiratory distress patient having a severe asthma attack. Truck 20 crew quickly established a patent airway and performed rescue breathing with a bag-valve-mask until the medic crew arrived and could administer intra-muscular Epinephrine.  Without their excellent medical care, the patient would have died.

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Pumper 8B (Firefighters David Reinecke, George Hornecker, Jessica Jackson and Garon Mosby) responded to a fire in a building.  Upon their arrival they made entry to the 2nd floor of an apartment building to find the kitchen filled with smoke and fire, and a patient lying on the floor in a confused state due to smoke inhalation.  The quick action and teamwork of Pumper 8 was instrumental in containing the fire and averting more serious injury or worse for the occupant

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

The Marine Task Force (Truck 11 and Squad 1 -- Captain Todd Gooch, Firefighters Mike Weber, Roger Meyer and Glen Koppang) was dispatched to a boat in distress in the Mississippi River.  Upon their arrival, they observed a bass boat with four men in it, stuck on rocks, taking on water quickly.  All four men were loaded into the Zodiac and taken safely back to shore.

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson and Deputy Chief Steve Kotraba presented two Lifesaving Awards to Emergency Medical Dispatcher Loretta Anderson.  The first was for her persistence at having the Operator 'tap' a busy line to determine if there was any conversation on it.  The Operator reported hearing heavy breathing on the open line.  Anderson quickly reported this information to the Medic Unit and Pumper that had not received an answer at the patient's door.  They made forcible entry, found the patient in severe distress, and transported urgently to the hospital. Without Anderson's devotion to duty, this call could have had a much different, probably fatal, outcome.  Job well done!

Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt