Vacaville police officers honored for saving a potential jumper
Four Vacaville police officers were among those honored by Kaiser Permanente at the annual First Responders Awards, which celebrates the dedication that paramedics, police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians employ on a daily basis in the Napa/Solano area.
Sgt. Adam Senf and officers Nick Crigger, Kenny Meek and Erwin Ramirez were honored for an incident that occurred back in March where they rescued a man threatening to jump off the roof of a local grocery store.
Senf told The Reporter that the Police Department received a report of a man on top of the Lucky Supermarket on Peabody Road with a cable around his neck and the intention to jump off. Senf said that Meek and Crigger were the first officers to respond, and they communicated with the man until the Hostage Negotiations Team arrived. Ramirez negotiated with the subject, and Senf — who supervises the Hostage Negotiations Team — provided assistance. For two hours, they attempted to get the man down, but he would not cooperate, Senf said.
Eventually, Senf and Ramirez were able to get close enough to safely remove the man from the ledge and cut the cable.
Senf said officers grateful afterward
felt that the situation was resolved peacefully.
“(We were) relieved he didn’t hurt himself, nobody was injured and we were able to get him the medical care he needed,” he said.
Senf said the award was a great honor and noted that first responders are a vital component of handling any crisis.
“We’re the first contact with the person,” he said. “It’s important for us to establish that initial communication and being a calming influence on them so they don’t do anything rash.”
Each year, Kaiser asks the community to nominate local EMS providers who saved a life or multiple lives, work closely with health care providers to ensure safety or are dedicated to community efforts that focus on injury prevention. The community responded with numerous stories of those who work to save lives or help prevent injuries.
“In emergencies, seconds count, and first responders make decisions that safeguard human life in those vital moments after an accident or unexpected health challenge,” Nor Jemjemian, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente in the Napa/Solano area, said in a statement. “Sometimes, those decisions involve great personal risk and sacrifice. We are grateful to these dedicated professionals who serve our community so valiantly, and we are thankful to their loved ones for supporting them in doing so.”
Chris Walker, Kaiser’s physician in chief for the Napa/Solano area, also highlighted the importance of first responders.
“First responders are such a critical part of our communities and play an essential role in keeping us safe,” he said in a statement. “As Solano County’s designated level II trauma center, we see some of the most critically injured patients in the area — many of whom would not have survived if not for the excellent care of the first responders in the field.”
Also honored were Winters Police Officer — and Solano County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain — Robert Duvall and his crisis intervention-trained K9 Kepi for their efforts to provide crisis intervention assistance to first responders, hospital staff and victims in time of emotional need; and Paramedic Adriaan Jansen Van Vuuren and EMT Brad Bennett from Medic Ambulance as well as nurse Denise Voye, Paramedic James Garcia and pilot Chris Coulter from REACH 7 for their response to help victims of a multi-vehicle crash in Solano County.
Kaiser also donated $5,000 to the 10-33 Foundation, which serves emergency services workers through pre-incident training, post-incident crisis intervention services and followup assistance.