Rock Falls council to present lifesaving award

ROCK FALLS — Two Rock Falls police officers will be recognized with a lifesaving award at the Rock Falls City Council meeting Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

The lifesaving event happened Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, around 12:30 p.m., when Rock Falls police were dispatched to a medical assist in the area of state Route 40 and Interstate 88, according to a news release.

The 911 caller was reporting she was a passenger in a vehicle in which the driver had become unconscious and was not breathing. The caller and the other passenger were able to get the vehicle stopped and began attempting to perform CPR with assistance from the instructions of the 911 dispatcher.

The caller was not from the area and was unable to immediately provide an exact location. Rock Falls police, Rock Falls firefighters and CGH EMS were dispatched to assist. Rock Falls police located the vehicle on state Route 40 just north of the I-88 overpass. Once on scene, Rock Falls officers removed the unconscious male from the vehicle.

One began chest compressions while another prepared an automated external defibrillator. The AED was applied to the man’s chest and delivered one shock as responders from the Rock Falls Fire Department and CGH EMS arrived to take over treatment. The man was transported via ambulance to CGH Medical Center ,where he was hospitalized in the critical care unit for several days before being discharged to a rehab center. He has since been released from the hospital to recover at home. The 911 dispatcher, along with fire department and EMS personnel, will also be recognized for their efforts in this response.