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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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Jefferson County, Fairfield officers recognized for saving person’s life
Two Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies and a Fairfield Police officer were recognized for saving a person whose heart had stopped during a medical emergency in July.
The two deputies were Tyler Rysdam and Nelson Torres Rodriguez, and the police officer was Sgt. William Riegel. The three were recognized and thanked by the American Heart Association for their life-saving efforts since the training for CPR and the Automated External Defibrillator that the officers used were through this organization.
According to a news release from Fairfield Police Chief David Thomas, the event in question occurred on July 11, 2023 when the Jefferson County Law Center received a 911 call involving a serious medical emergency in a vehicle on Highway 34 as it bypasses Fairfield.
Two Fairfield Police Department’s Communications Specialists (CS), Dispatch Supervisor Shannon Pester and CS Kate Waller, gave pre-arrival, lifesaving instructions to the 911 caller. The two Communications Specialists simultaneously dispatched the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) unit with the Fairfield Fire Department (FFD), Care Ambulance, two Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Deputies, and a Fairfield Police Department (FPD) Officer to assist in the high risk traffic area.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tyler Rysdam, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nelson Torres Rodriguez, and Fairfield Police Department Sergeant William Riegel arrived at the scene before Emergency Medical Services. The medical emergency patient was removed from the vehicle to assess.
The patient did not have a pulse and CPR was initiated. An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) was also applied to the patient and utilized. The patient was transported to the Jefferson County Health Center’s (JCHC) Emergency Room by Care Ambulance. Family of the patient later advised Emergency Services that the patient survived.
On Aug. 21, 2023, Sgt. Riegel, Deputy Rysdam, and Deputy Torres Rodriquez were recognized and thanked by the American Heart Association with letters and certificates.
“The Fairfield Police Department would like to recognize and thank the Emergency Services teams who respond every time with this professionalism,” Thomas stated in his news release. “This happens every day in Fairfield and Jefferson County. We worry about only recognizing this one incident.”
“Thank you to the Fairfield Police Department’s Communications Specialists who answer the other end of 911 calls and coordinate/supervise each response. The dedication to Emergency Services and your monthly advanced training courses are greatly appreciated. The professional voice over the radio is truly the calm in the storm.
“Thank you to all the Emergency Medical Service agencies in our area. This includes all the great First Responder Services who respond from their homes in emergencies, the Fairfield Fire Department who assist with all medical calls, the Care Ambulance Service who provides advanced medical care, and the JCHC professional staff who are always there for our entire community.
“Finally, thank you to all area Law Enforcement who still train in several areas of the medical field after all the other training we ask them to take every year. We acknowledge that they take monthly training for criminal/case laws, investigations, de-escalation, child/dependent adult abuse, defensive tactics, implicit bias, driving, cultural sensitivity, firearms, mental health crisis response, general liability concerns, and the list goes on and on. We also ask them to attend a week of medical training for Law Enforcement First Responder certification, additional trauma/stroke/heart emergency responses, CPR, AED, and Narcan administration. Thank you for your time spent training for all these emergencies.”
