The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The Township police officers who took part in resuscitating a man who had collapsed while shoveling snow last month will be honored at the February 24 Township Council meeting.
Police said that two officers – Officer Martin Ragaie and Officer Edmond Neequaye, who is currently in field training – on January 19 responded to a 9-1-1 call at about 10:27 a.m. about an unconscious man in the area of Route 27 and Church Street. The man collapsed while shoveling snow for his employer, police said.
The officers quickly determined that the man was not breathing and had no pulse, so they immediately began CPR and deployed a defibrillator with the assistance of Det. Rosendo Vargas, who arrived on scene shortly thereafter, police said.
The victim began breathing on his own after several rounds of CPR and two defibrillator shocks, police said.
Kendall Park EMS and Robert Wood Johnson paramedics arrived and took over patient care. The victim was later transported to a local hospital and has since made a full recovery, police said.
The man, who was not named, will be on hand at the Feb. 24 Council meeting to thank the officers who saved his life, police said.
While the Franklin Township Police Department has mandated officers to maintain CPR certification through biennial training, Acting Public Safety Director Lloyd Fredericks recently implemented a policy requiring annual CPR instruction. The agency has also expanded in-house medical training to include “Stop the Bleed” and emergency medical responder courses.
“I am grateful our officers were able to use their training and equipment to save a life,” Fredericks said in a press release. “Training that was previously required every other year is now taken annually. By increasing the repetitions and amount of time officers spend training, we are better prepared to provide critical assistance to residents and visitors when every second matters.”
Stay ‘In the Know,’ subscribe to the Franklin Reporter & Advocate!
No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented by the Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Period. We are the only truly independent media serving the Eight Villages.
But we can only do that with your support. Please consider a yearly subscription to our online news site; at $37 a year, it’s one of the best investments you can make for yourself.
To subscribe, please click here.
