by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Christmas came early this year for the St. Joseph City Council and Police Chief Joel Klein at the council’s meeting where they were presented a check to buy an automated external defibrillator.
Local representatives of Rug Doctor presented an $800 check on behalf of the rental and retail business for carpet-cleaning machines, cleaning solutions and portable spot-cleaning machines
“We need to support our police – not shoot them,” said Kris Haugen, a Rug Doctor area representative who was a reserve officer for the City of St. Joseph and is a friend of Klein’s.
Haugen told the city council at its Dec. 5 meeting he and his coworkers were motivated to help pay for the cost of an AED device that would save lives after reading a Newsleader article last month in which Klein spoke about equipment requests his police department could use.
“If something were to happen in the city and he needed my help and he called me, I’d be right there,” Haugen told council members of how he felt of Klein and his support of the police chief.
Klein and St. Joseph Fire Chief Jeff Taufen talked about their wish lists for their respective departments at the October Y2K Lions meeting held at the Church of St. Joseph Parish Center.
“This city is pretty lucky to have a reserve program that they do,” Haugen said. “A lot of cities don’t have this opportunity for citizens to be on a reserve police department and to be able to ride with a full-time officer and spend the time you do with them.”
At the Y2K Lions meeting, Klein had said his department could use another automated external defibrillator for its fifth squad car, as well as additional defibrillator pads, which the Rug Doctor check that was presented at the Dec. 5 meeting will also help purchase.
“Kris has always been good to me,” Klein said after receiving the check. “It makes me feel great that people want to do stuff like that. It’s nice to see good people who are very willing to support us.”
An AED is “a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient,” according to the American Heart Association.
The AED applies electrical therapy, “which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm,” according to Wikipedia, and “with simple audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layperson.”
“Like he (Klein) always said when we got in the squad (car) before a shift, he’d turn and look at me and say, ‘You got my back today?’ Well, I got your back today,” Haugen said as he handed the check to Klein.
Terry Quigley, district manager for Rug Doctor, stands behind City Administrator Judy Weyrens, as Mayor Rick Schultz, Kris Haugen (an area representative for Rug Doctor) and Police Chief Joel Klein take a break from the Dec. 5 meeting of the city council. During the break, the police chief accepted a check from the Rug Doctor team to help purchase a life-saving automated external defibrillator for the police department’s fifth squad car.
