The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Fire and Rescue awarded Life Saving Medals
Several members of the Painesville Fire Department have been awarded medals for the life-saving actions they performed this summer for an assault victim.
Captain Bob Mrosko, Lt. Amanda Karduck, and firefighters Tom Konitsky, Brandon Noe, Chris Kuper, and Brennan Carden were awarded Life Saving Medals recently by City Council and City Manager Monica Irelan after being selected for recognition by Chief Mark Mlachek.
Upon reaching the scene July 12 in the 900 block of North State Street, Painesville Fire and Rescue found a 15-year-old girl suffering multiple severe stab wounds to the face, head, and back.
The female was succumbing to hypovolemic shock with the large stab wounds in her back acting as “sucking wounds” and causing significant blood loss, Mlachek recounted.
Painesville Township was also called in for assistance on the scene, and an emergency helicopter was requested to meet on site at the emergency room to deal with the significant trauma when she was transported to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.
During transport, Painesville Fire and Rescue performed decompression on one of the victim’s lung after the deep stab wounds along her back caused one of her lungs to collapse, Mlachek said.
“They saved her life,” the chief said. “Both Metro and Lake Health attribute the young lady’s survival to the fast actions of the paramedics.
“Had they not done what they did as quickly as they did, the young lady probably wouldn’t be alive today.”
Irelan was on hand to bestow the medals.
“Our first responders answer calls with no idea what they are walking into or the people involved,” she said.
“In this case, they were called to a scene where a young woman was injured, struggling for her life and they did not hesitate to jump into action and start immediate aid. Because of their quick thinking and medical skills, they saved her life.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” she added.
Mlachak also found himself on the receiving end of an honor at the council meeting as he was given an official proclamation from the city, honoring his 38 years of service, 16 of which as the city’s fire chief.
It come ahead of his retirement at the end of this year.
“The chief is a great asset to the City of Painesville and has seen so much change in this community over the past 38 years,” Irelan said. “Under his watch as chief, although call volume continued to increase, the department saw improved response times and improved training.
“He saw the department’s first female firefighter hired in 2008, oversaw the installation of the 9/11 Memorial Garden in 2011 and has continuously worked on archiving the department’s historical documents,” she added. “I thank him for his service to this community and wish him all the best in retirement.”
For his part, Mlachak thanked the city, council and the residents for their support.
“It was a real surprise,” he chuckled the day after. “Good thing I happened to be handing out medals that night or who knows who it would have gone to.”