Area Police Officers Save 2 Lives in 2 Days

Police officers and firefighters are credited with saving the lives of two men over two days last week, according to a story on the city’s Facebook page.

At 1:45 a.m. on Aug. 22, police were dispatched to an unknown medical emergency in the 600 block of Ninth Street, where they found a 25-year-old man who wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse.

Officers immediately began CPR and continued life saving measures until Royal Oak firefighters arrived on the scene. Royal Oak firefighters quickly administered Narcan, or naloxone, used to counter the effects of opioids. The patient was immediately revived, Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue said at a news conference.

First responders in Royal Oak carry Narcan in their vehicles, which are also equipped with automated external defibrillators. AEDs are portable electronic devices that automatically diagnose life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and treats them through defibrillation.

About eight hours later, at 9:51 a.m. on Aug. 23, police stopped a 54-year-old Madison Heights man after receiving a report of erratic driving in the area of 11 Mile Road and Main Street. The driver had reportedly suffered an unknown medical emergency, lost consciousness and was unable to breathe.

Officers removed the man from his vehicle and began administering CPR, then used the AED to re-establish a normal arrhythmia. When firefighters arrived, the man was transported to a hospital.

» Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.

“The teamwork and professionalism of the police officers and firefighters should be commended,” O’Donohue said, crediting city officials with investing in lifesaving measures “in the field, where they are most needed.”

“In both cases those resources, combined with the skills of the first responders, resulted in lives being saved,” O’Donohue said.

________

Videos via city of Royal Oak Facebook page