Columbia Falls police officers recognized for saving lives
From left, Columbia Falls Police officers Todd Hall, Micah Friesen and Chief Chad Stephens during a ceremony at the March 3 City Council meeting recognizing the two officers' recent efforts to save lives. (Hungry Horse News)
Two Columbia Falls police officers were recognized at the March 3 City Council meeting for saving lives while on duty in separate incidents.
On Jan. 13 about 6 p.m., officer Micah Friesen responded to a call of a vehicle that had hit a building in the 800 block of First Avenue West. The driver of the vehicle was suffering an overdose.
Friesen found the driver, 20 year-old Sidney Sweetin, on the ground outside the vehicle breathing abnormally with his eyes rolled back into his head, which Friesen saw as signs of an opioid overdose.
He gave the Sweetin a dose of Narcan, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. Moments later, the man began to recover. Once he was medically stabilized, Sweetin was charged with driving under the influence.
“Officer Friesen’s quick actions certainly prevented an overdose death,” Police Chief Chad Stephens said in a Life Saving Certificate given to Friesen. “However, officer Friesen never lost sight of his public safety duty and his duty to enforce the law.”
In a separate incident, officer Todd Hall also saved a person’s life.
On Jan. 23, at about 7:51 p.m., officers received a 911 call of a 22-year-old female choking on food in the 400 block of Bills Lane.
Officers rushed to her apartment and found the woman unable to clear her throat of the food. She was unable to speak.
Hall performed the Heimlich maneuver on her and successfully cleared her airway so she could breathe, saving her life.
“Officer Hall’s calm response to this incident and the actions he took are directly responsible for saving her life,” Stephens said in a Life Saving Certificate given to Hall.
The two men were recognized for their efforts by Council and city staff.
“Kudos to the officers,” Councilor Mike Shepard said later in the meeting. “It’s nice to see young men who know how to do their jobs.”
“The actions of these two police officers were outstanding,” Mayor Don Barnhart said.
Stephens was also proud of their efforts.
“Great work on their part. They (the force) seems to be doing a lot of that lately,” he said.