Three emergency responders recognized

Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Three members of Jefferson County’s emergency responders recently received public recognition for their actions in an incident involving a pediatric medical emergency.
As it happened, the child in distress was the nephew of Commissioner Chris Tuten, who was not only impressed with the emergency responders’ professionalism, but also took it upon himself to recognize them publicly for their expert handling of the situation.
Tuten invited Captain Dexter Walker and paramedic Cameron Allen of the Jefferson County Fire Rescue, and Deputy Parise Adams of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office she also keeps my niece and nephew,” Tuten said, pointing to two-year-old Andrew Shannon and five-year-old Lucy Shannon in the front row.
Tuten said his mother-in-law had called in a panic because Andrew had been having a seizure.
Rapidly as he had driven to the house – observing all traffic laws, Tuten made a point of saying – Adams, Walker and Allen had already been there when he arrived and Allen was carrying Andrew out of the house, he said.
“The way he conducted himself was not panicked,” Tuten said. “He was calm, cool and collect. He talked to everybody. He kept everybody from having a panic attack.”
Having seen firsthand the excellent work that they did, Tuten said he had asked the three to attend the meeting to receive recognition and appreciation for the good work that they performed daily on behalf of the county.
The grandmother, Cindy Shannon, likewise praised the responders.
“They were great,” Shannon said. “Both the deputy and the guys on the ambulance. I was terrified. I had two other grand kids with me, and when the deputy came in, he was so calm that he helped me to be calm. And when the other guys got there from the ambulance, everybody was calm. And they were just a blessing, because we had been praying for help and they were our help. Thank you all for hiring such quality men to do these jobs.”
Sheriff Mac McNeill told the board that Deputy Adams, who had formerly been 10 years with the FSU Police Department, had now been with his office for three or four months. Adams, he said, was representative of the kind of experienced officers that the department could now hire, thanks to the pay raises the board had approved.
“Thanks to the work you’ve all done with the pay raises and health insurance, these are the kinds of deputies that we can now hire, versus hiring someone brand new out of the academy and having to train them,” McNeill said. “We now get deputies like Adams who have 10 years of real law-enforcement experience and come here ready to do for the community the day that they put on the uniform.”
Fire Rescue Chief Derick Burrus likewise praised his men.
“I appreciate you recognizing them,” Burrus said. “This is what they do everyday. The reason that they can come in there calm and put everyone at ease is because this is what they do daily. To the average citizen, when it happens, your family is in a panic because it’s a crisis. But these guys are professionals; they’ve got their heads on their shoulders, they care, and they do great work. I appreciate you recognizing them.”
Paul Henry, a retired Florida Highway Patrol trooper, had the last word.
“These men and women who wear the uniform in this county, Commissioner Tuten, you just saw the tip of the iceberg,” Henry said. “They do this 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They do it in hot weather, cold weather and wet weather, but they don’t often hear what you just said. And it really warms my heart to hear you say that. So thank you.”