Cpl. Scott
Pepin was on patrol in East Naples when he was dispatched to a call of an
81-year-old man who was not breathing.
When Cpl.
Pepin arrived at the man’s residence, he found the man unconscious on the
floor.
Cpl. Pepin
used his Collier County Sheriff’s Office-issued automated external
defibrillator (AED) and CPR to resuscitate him.
The
eight-year CCSO veteran’s quick response and professional application of
lifesaving procedures were crucial in saving the man’s life Oct. 27, 2013.
On Monday,
Cpl. Pepin was one of three deputies honored with a CCSO Lifesaving Award at a
brief ceremony during the monthly supervisors meeting in front of their CCSO
colleagues at the Professional Development Center, 615 Third Ave. S. Naples.
Cpl. Ralph Scala and Cpl. Manuel Decastro were also honored for their professional use of emergency lifesaving techniques.
Cpl. Ralph Scala and Cpl. Manuel Decastro were also honored for their professional use of emergency lifesaving techniques.
National CPR
and AED Awareness Week is June 1-7, and spotlights how lives can be saved if
more Americans know CPR and how to use an AED.
Thanks to a
partnership with the American Heart Association, all CCSO patrol cars are
equipped with an AED, a portable device that applies electrical therapy to
patients in cardiac arrest and allows the heart to re-establish an effective
rhythm.
Since 2012,
CCSO has partnered with Collier County EMS/Fire Rescue in an information system
to assist 911 dispatchers in helping callers locate AEDs near sudden cardiac
arrest victims.
CCSO also
offers free CPR and AED training to the community.
The agency
provides free "hands-only’’ cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED training
to homeowner groups and any member of the community who would like to learn how
to save a life. The classes follow the American Heart Association’s CPR
curriculum. The time it takes to teach the classes varies, depending on the
level of certification being sought.
Community
members or groups that would like to learn basic hands-only CPR should contact
Cpl. William Pschigoda at (239) 252-9448, or
william.pschigoda@colliersheriff.org to set up a class date and time. Classes
are free.
Additional
classes are also taught by other local American Heart Association instructors.
These instructors are available through Collier County EMS, any of the fire
agencies in Collier County as well as the education department at NCH Naples
Hospital.