Calif. Fire Dept. Honors Lifesavers

Oct. 16--Chase Fletcher was working out at a local gym one evening last September when a man nearby went into cardiac arrest.

The off-duty ambulance operator for the Glendale Fire Department sprang into action, initiating CPR while directing fellow gym-goers to call 911 and retrieve the gym's automatic defibrillator.

He used the defibrillator to deliver two shocks, and after a couple more minutes of CPR, the man -- who happened to be Fletcher's father and a retired firefighter -- started breathing and regained consciousness.

Chase Fletcher was honored on Wednesday for his quick thinking and knowledge, which earned him a Fire Chief's Commendation at the Glendale Fire Department's annual awards luncheon, co-hosted by the Glendale Sunrise Rotary.

"We're extremely proud of Chase," said Glendale Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, plugging the Glendale Fire Foundation's efforts to put automatic defibrillators in public places all around the city. "If we had them in public places, all over this community, our community would be better prepared."

More than 30 others were also recognized for their efforts in protecting the Glendale community.

Among them was a team of first responders who saved 10-year-old Elizabeth Kim from the bottom of the pool at Pacific Park in Glendale over the summer.

When lifeguard Brianna Georgia pulled Elizabeth out of the pool, she was unresponsive and not breathing.

That's when lifeguards David Bazikian, Emile Giragosian and Vartan Shahnazarian performed CPR, while other lifeguards cleared the pool and made a clear path for firefighter paramedics, who were also recognized during the luncheon, to enter.

"It's great to know that this is our future, that these young people are not afraid to act," Scoggins said of the lifeguards, some of whom are teenagers. "They saved her life."

Elizabeth joined the honorees on stage at Wednesday's event.

Also, Distinguished Service Awards were presented to Anita Shandi, the department's public safety business specialist, as well as Firefighter/Paramedic Michael Coley, Engineer Jonathan Payne and Capt. Chris Jernegan. Meanwhile, Joe Giovinazzo was recognized as Ambulance Operator of the Year.

Copyright 2014 - Glendale News-Press, Calif.