HARRISBURG, Pa. (October 28) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has honored two law enforcement officers with Lifesaving Awards.
Sergeant Craig Garman and Waterways Conservation Officer (WCO) Sean Sauserman were presented with the awards for their actions related to the same incident involving a volunteer trout stocking assistant who had suffered a cardiac incident.
On March 14, 2019 during a preseason stocking event along Canoe Creek in Blair County, Garman and Sauserman were alerted to the medical emergency and took swift action. Due to the remote location of the stocking, radio and cellular signals were not immediately available for reaching local Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Garman, who was familiar with the terrain, quickly sought higher ground where communication could be established and successfully contacted EMS and directed them to the scene of the emergency.
During this time, WCO Sauserman initiated CPR and continued until the patient regained consciousness. Due to the remote location of the incident and extended response time of EMS, Sauserman continued to perform patient care for nearly one hour before EMS arrived and transported the patient to UPMC Altoona Trauma Center. Sauserman visited the coherent patient at the hospital later that day.
"Both officers are credited with saving a man's life that day," said Col. Corey Britcher, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Law Enforcement. "In the most stressful of circumstances, Sergeant Garman and Officer Sauserman called upon years of training and made smart decisions. While they will tell you they were just doing their jobs, as an agency, we couldn't be more proud of them."
Both awards were presented during the formal quarterly meeting of the PFBC Board of Commissioners on October 22, 2019 in Harrisburg.
Pictured (left to right): Eric Hussar, President, PFBC Board of Commissioners; WCO Sean Sauserman; Sgt. Craig Garman; Tim Schaeffer, PFBC Executive Director
Video of the awards presentations is available here (2:50 point of video).
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Media Contact:
Mike Parker
Communications Director
(717)705-7806
michparker@pa.gov