Battalion 9 Personnel Honored at Lakewood Valor Awards

On November 1, Fire Captain David Garcia, Fire Fighters Lawrence Hann and George Youssef of Fire Station 122, and Fire Fighter Paramedics Aaron Morris and Aron Rowe of Fire Station 31 were honored at the 2012 Lakewood Valor Awards for their successful rescue of heart attack victim Ethel Cungious in February. Cungious, a vocational nurse for Oxford HealthCare, was walking with her coworker Elizah Hollens on the afternoon of February 23 when she began to feel short of breath. In less than five minutes, Cungious suddenly passed out and fell onto the ground, pulseless and not breathing.

Hollens immediately called 911 and administered CPR until our paramedics arrived to provide further treatment. While transporting Cungious to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, personnel successfully revived her using an EKG, bringing her heart back to life. Cungious and Hollens' supervisor Donna Koening said of our personnel, "We are so grateful for their expertise and experience. I had a paramedic on the phone with me, trying to find out what medical conditions Ethel might have that would impact their treatment of her. I feel very fortunate that I received a follow up call from Captain Garcia regarding this run."

At the ceremony, Cungious surprised the awardees by walking on stage to thank them for saving her life. "I have been waiting for this so long … to be here and to see them and thank them for saving my life. … There is nothing I can say but thank you," she said.

Congratulations to our personnel on their recognition!