by Dennis Dalman
Nine men – public servants one and all – were honored with Life Saving Awards at a ceremony at Sartell City Hall during a council meeting Nov. 28.
Those honored were two Sartell police officers (Nathan Frieler and Rob Lyon), a Sartell resident (Christopher Wynn) and members of the DeZurik Manufacturing Co.’s First Response Team: Matt Fallon, Ryan Meyer, Sartell firefighters Adam Imholte and Matt Fox, retired Sartell firefighter Bill Sieben and Royalton firefighter Jesse Heinen.
Sartell Police Chief Jim Hughes stepped up to the podium first to introduce the two police officers to be honored, Frieler and Lyon.
Hughes told the council and audience that at 3:27 a.m. Sept. 30, the police department received an emergency call about a garage fire in Sartell. A motorist, Christopher Wynn, was passing by and saw the fire. He knocked loudly on the home’s door, trying to wake residents. Then he called the police.
Officers Lyon and Frieler soon arrived. Desperate to warn any resident inside because the fire was reaching the house from the attached garage, the officers quickly decided they had no choice but to break down the house door. Inside was a lone occupant, a male who was sleeping. The police removed him from the house.
The two officers and the resident, Christopher Wynn, received Life Saving Awards. Their quick thinking, professionalism and vow to help people were commendable, Hughes noted.
Next at the podium was Sartell Fire Chief Peter Kedrowski. At 10:52 a.m. April 19, police were dispatched to the DeZurik Mfg. Co. in the city because there was a report of a man down with no pulse detectable. Fortunately DeZurik has its own in-plant First Responder Team, including some Sartell firefighters on that team: one retired firefighter (Bill Sieben) and two active members (Adam Imholte and Matt Fox) and also a firefighter from Royalton (Jesse Heinen). The other members of that first-response team are DeZurik employees Matt Fallon and Ryan Meyer.
The man who had collapsed was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation by response-team members. When the others arrived at the scene a defibrillator “shock” device was applied, which started the man’s heart beating again. He was quickly whisked away to the St. Cloud Hospital by a Mayo ambulance.
Kedrowski praised the men for their quick responses and team work, then presented each of them with Life Saving Awards.
The audience and council burst into applause. Council members, during a standing ovation, shook the hands of each life saver as they walked past the council bench.
contributed photo
The nine men honored with Life Saving Awards during a ceremony at the Nov. 28 Sartell City Council meeting are (left to right) Jesse Heinen, Royalton firefighter and member of the DeZurik first-responder team; Adam Imholte, Sartell firefighter and member of the DeZurik response team; Matt Fox, Sartell firefighter and member of the DeZurik response team; Matt Fallon, response-team member; Bill Sieben, retired Sartell firefighter and also a response-team member; Ryan Meyer of the response team; and Sartell police officers Rob Lyon and Nathan Frieler. Not pictured is another award winner, resident Christopher Wynn.
