Cardiac arrest victim recovers after found on Pentagon restroom floor
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Four Pentagon Force Protection Agency police officers and a U.S. Marine Corps officer were recently recognized with lifesaving awards during the Agency's Annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony at the Pentagon Auditorium.
"Our officers' primary responsibility is protecting DoD employees to allow them to perform their critical national security mission," said Pentagon Force Protection Agency Director Steven E. Calvery. "We expect them to respond to a variety of situations, which comes with wearing the uniform. These officers relied on their training and exhibited excellent teamwork and quick thinking. They did a great job."
The awards were given to Pentagon Police Sgt. Ronald Beasley (from Bowie, Md.), Officer Joseph Simpson (from Fulton County, Ga.), Officer Martin Rodriguez (from Waldorf, Md.) and Officer Robert Tharpe (from Kingsville, Texas), and U.S. Marine Corps Col. Donald Revell (from Spartanburg, S.C.) for their response to a Pentagon employee who was suffering from a cardiac arrest at the Pentagon in February.
The police officers arrived on the scene to find an unconscious and unresponsive victim on the floor and Col. Revell performing Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the victim. Immediately, they went into action, assisting with the CPR, securing the area, requesting emergency medical personnel, and retrieving an Automated External Defibrillator, which they used to revive the victim. The DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic, the Pentagon's onsite medical unit, responded soon after and provided additional medical treatment.
"Getting recognized is fine, but saving a life to me is more important," said Simpson, who assisted the colonel with chest compressions. "That is why I put on my uniform every day. Having a son and a family myself, I felt that I would want someone to do that for me if I was in a time of need."
Although it's one of the most secure buildings in the world, the Pentagon's more than 27,000 employees are not immune to medical issues. The police officers of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency are often the first responders to incidents there and are trained to respond to a wide variety of crises, to include life-threatening medical emergencies. The Pentagon Police are dispatched to more than 450 medical incidents each year, which range from sprained ankles to more critical medical emergencies.
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SOURCE Pentagon Force Protection Agency
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