Certificate Of Merit Recognition | Dreamstime
Certificate Of Merit Recognition | Dreamstime
From February 16, 2023 post.
On January 13, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office held our annual awards banquet where we celebrate the great work of our staff. Over the course of a few weeks, we will highlight some of these awards and the staff that earned them.
Today we would like to recognize two individuals that received awards for their response to the same incident. Reserve Commander David Coponiti received the Lifesaving Medal and Civilian Operations Supervisor Jennifer Coponiti received the Certificate of Merit. The Lifesaving Medal is presented to members whose quick actions and selfless response saved the life of another. The Certificate of Merit recognition is presented to a member who displays unusual gallantry, extraordinary fidelity, and praiseworthy, admirable, or courageous behavior.
On October 16, 2022, Reserve Commander Coponiti and Jennifer Coponiti were driving home from Colorado when they drove upon a crash scene on Highway 160 outside of Walsenburg, CO. The crash was an obvious fatal scene with multiple vehicles involved. There were no first responders on scene, but several other citizens had stopped. It was reported that few, if any, citizens were helping the injured occupants of the crashed vehicles.
One female, with extensive injuries, had to be stabilized until first responders could arrive and extricate her. Jennifer Coponiti held c-spine stabilization in an awkward position on the female for nearly 20-25 minutes. The stabilization is commonly understood to be necessary to increase the likelihood of a best outcome for an injured person. David helped the first responders extricate her and while doing so, a leg injury began bleeding profusely. He was prepared and applied a tourniquet to the woman's leg without hesitation. This stopped the bleeding and allowed for a successful extrication. From the report, it was evident this woman could have sustained worse or more debilitating injuries if the Coponiti's had not stopped to help. Because of their selfless actions and quick response, the Coponiti’s helped saved the life of the woman.
Original source can be found here.
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