On May 21, Mesa County first responders, along with Family Health West, hosted their annual Phoenix Award ceremony. The Phoenix Award is given to first responders involved in the care of a cardiac arrest patient who survives with no neurological damage. Over one hundred awards were given to commemorate 21 lives saved by first responders.
The Fruita Police and Fire Department was highlighted for their teamwork in saving one manโs life after he fell off his motorcycle due to a medical issue. If the first responders hadnโt arrived when they did, the patient would have lost his life.
โIโm pretty much back to doing all the stupid stuff I used to do, but itโs just an amazing sequence of events that Iโm here at all and the people that all made it happen are here today, and Iโm so happy to thank them in person,โ said Ronald Palm, patient. โWords canโt express how grateful I am to all these men and women who were there for my husband, to the bystander who saw him wobble his bike and knew it was a medical emergency rather than a crash, and every single responder who had a hand in his saving,โ said Janet Gorden Palm, wife of the patient.
First responders arrived on the scene and noticed that the patient was actually suffering from cardiac arrest and knew he needed special medical attention. โWe would not have the outcome that we just talked about had that not happened, had these providers not recognized that, understood the underlying disease process, and then acted based on what they knew to do to treat that specific disease. Incredibly important,โ said Glenn Burket, emergency physician.
