WA to honor 5 Tri-Citians who saved a student’s life + 2 others who helped a co-worker
Five Kennewick School District staff and two employees at Energy Northwest will be honored Wednesday with the Washington state Governor’s Lifesaving Award for their quick action in emergencies.
They will be among 22 people recognized at the opening ceremony of the Governor’s Industrial Safety and Health Conference in Spokane.
At the school district, paraeducator Courtney Bissinger, teacher Kurtis Clawson, security officer Ken Lattin, coach and counselor Ben Schuldheisz and P.E. teacher Shaun Suss all jumped into action to save a Desert Hills Middle School student after his heart stopped earlier this year.
The team of five is credited with saving the seventh-grade student’s life. While the student lives with a seizure disorder, staff acted quickly once they realized this wasn’t one of his regular episodes.
“When emergencies happen, whether in public or workplaces, people working nearby are often the first ones to help. Their quick actions can mean the difference between life and death,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health at the Washington Department of Labor and Industries, in a statement.
“I’m inspired by their stories and reassured knowing there are workers like the people being honored who are willing to do what it takes to save a life,” he added.
The Lifesaving Award recognizes ordinary workers who went “above and beyond the call of duty” to save a person’s life. The incident must have happened between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023.
The incident at Desert Hills occurred during P.E. class on Jan. 19.
After the student collapsed, Bissinger noticed something was off: The student had lost color in his face and his breathing faltered.
As she tended to him, Suss sprinted to the office to call for an ambulance.
That’s when Clawson, Lattin and Schuldheisz heard about the student and jumped into action.
A retired U.S. Marine with medical experience, Clawson took the student’s pulse and felt nothing. Lattin, a retired Kennewick police officer, took charge as incident command as Schuldheisz quickly retrieved an automated external defibrillator, which is a portable medical device that resuscitates people who go into cardiac arrest.
Schuldheisz administered the defibrillator, delivering shocks to the student’s chest, and also conducted chest compressions.
Color returned to the student’s face and he quickly began breathing on his own again. And within 12 minutes the student was in the back of an ambulance and en route to a local hospital.
The student returned to school with a pacemaker and a new lease on life. He was also able to play baseball that spring.
“To see the way they all reacted, it’s pretty special,” said Principal Casey Grant in a February statement provided by the school district. “(The student) is going to come back to us and the only reason is because of this crew.”
Energy Northwest life saved
At Energy Northwest of Richland, employees John Hagfeldt and Steve Short are being honored with the governor’s award.
The two and Bob Powell were setting up a work trailer on April 26 in preparation for the Columbia Generation Station’s refueling outage. Powell is a retired Energy Northwest employee who returned to work as a contractor at the Columbia Generating Station for the outage.
Hagfeldt had just finish a phone call when he heard Powell mumbling and slurring his words.
He turned toward Powell and saw him sitting, eyes closed with one side of his body drooping, according to Energy Northwest.
“I immediately called out for Steve, and I think he knew from my tone that something was wrong,” Hagfeldt said.
While Short made sure that Powell didn’t fall from his chair, Hagfeldt called the plant’s control room for emergency response.
His next call was to Powell’s son, who also works at Energy Northwest.
First responders and Energy Northwest security arrived within minutes, and Danee Pisarchuk who works in occupational health at Energy Northwest began providing treatment and comfort.
She used the skills and knowledge she was learning in Columbia Basin College’s program for licensed practical nurses to earn bachelor’s in nursing degrees.
“John and Steve’s rapid reaction meant Bob received crucial and timely medical treatment that not only saved his life, but also prevented possible long-term damage,” said L&I in the announcement of their award.
Hagfeldt volunteered to drive Powell’s son to the hospital and stayed with the family until Powell was flown to Spokane for care.
“All of the medical staff were impressed with how quickly the Energy Northwest team responded,” Powell’s family wrote in a letter to Energy Northwest employees. “The medical staff commented that we owe Bob’s miraculous recovery to your efforts.”
Bob Schuetz, chief executive of Energy Northwest, also gave employees Hagfeldt, Short and Pisarchuk the Energy Northwest CEO Lifesaving Award.
