A Plant City Fire Rescue captain who violated protocol but may have saved a choking boy's life has been named the city's 2009 Firefighter of the Year.
Fire Chief George Shiley said Capt. Stacy Stearns' honor was based on the nomination of his peers and a review committee's selection.
Stearns decided against waiting for paramedics and rushed the 12-year-old two blocks from his home to South Florida Baptist Hospital.
"The attending doctor in the (emergency room) stated another two or three minute delay and there would have been irreparable harm or possibly death to the patient," City Manager David Sollenberger reported.
Stearns' actions were contrary to Fire Rescue's regulations as his crew was trained in basic life support, but the decision was in the boy's best interest, Sollenberger said.
The boy, who was in the care of his father, was unresponsive when Stearns and his crew arrived for the call, which came in about 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1. The nearest paramedic unit was several minutes away, and Sollenberger praised Stearns for not going by the book in this instance. Had Stearns waited, precious minutes would have been wasted, Sollenberger said.
Stearns put his job on the line in rushing the boy to the hospital without waiting for advanced life support, but "this exemplifies the selfless character of an officer, a firefighter and a father - all descriptive of Stacy Stearns," Sollenberger wrote in a report to city commissioners.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement
Advertisement