Police, firefighters stop suicidal woman

Euclid firefighters recently received a letter of commendation for their action in helping a Euclid police officer rescue a suicidal woman.

Firefighters Eric Patterson and Kevin Jones responded to the scene of a suicidal female threatening to jump off of a bridge on the evening of Feb. 9, according to the commendation letter from Lt. Scott Svonovec. They saw a Euclid police officer attempting to pull the woman away from the edge and ran to intervene.

Patterson grabbed the woman’s legs and the officer had a hold of her upper body as Jones assisted, Svonovec said. The officer and firefighters were able to pull the woman to a safe area.

“It is in this officer’s opinion that the heroic actions by these (firefighters) brought this scene to a peaceful close,” Svonovec stated in the letter. “Two of the EFD’s core values were on display — courage and teamwork. These members assessed the risks involved and used their skills and training to help prevent a possible fatality.”

Svonovec, who is the two firefighters’ supervisor, said that the actions they took were selfless. Fire Chief Christopher Haddock said it was a “courageous thing”.

“These members also embody Section 1.02 ‘Primary Role of Members’ of the EFD’s Rules and Regulations,” Svonovec said in the letter. “These members were mindful of their roles as public servants, bearing in mind that their actions must always be in the best interest of the public at large, rather than their own personal interests or desires.”