32 Individuals Receive Lifesaving Awards

On Friday, Dec. 18, 2015 Sheriff John McMahon recognized 32 employees and citizens for acts of lifesaving. These individuals are responsible for administering CPR, preventing attempts of suicide and providing first aid which directly contributed to saving many lives. There are many stories to tell, and here are a few shining examples. On Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, Deputy Will Fifita was off-duty at LAX Airport waiting to pick up family members. Suddenly, Will’s father, Eddie Fifita, fell to the ground and stopped breathing, possibly in cardiac arrest. Will quickly began assessing his father’s needs and was assisted by Customs Agents Phillip Gaff and Kevin Mahoney. The three officers began CPR and after several minutes, Will located a pulse and his father began breathing. Eddie Fifita was transported to a nearby hospital. On June 19, 2015 a traffic collision occurred on Boulder near Pacific in Highland. Michael Ruth witnessed a car crash into a tree and become fully engulfed in flames. Mr. Ruth ran to the vehicle, saw the injured driver in the backseat, reached into the burning vehicle and pulled the driver to safety. After rescuing the driver, Michael Ruth stayed with the driver until he was transported to a local hospital. In January of 2015, Deputies Daniel Smith and David Franquez were assigned as partners for the day on routine patrol in Rancho Cucamonga. They stopped for a quick bite to eat before their first assignment. Deputy Smith was researching the subjects they were going to contact when he looked at Deputy Franquez and realized he was choking. Franquez’s face turned red and he was no longer breathing. Smith got Franquez out of the patrol car and immediately began the Heimlich maneuver. The one hard compression dislodged the food from his airway and he began breathing on his own. “I couldn’t be more proud of the professional character displayed by all 32 individuals awarded, stated Sheriff John McMahon. Without hesitation, citizens and employees from various agencies stepped in and gave so many people their life back.”