TUMWATER, Wash.-Five staff members at Desert Hills Middle School who helped save the life of a student with a defibrillator last school year will be among the honorees at this year’s State Lifesaving Awards celebrating workplace heroism.
The Kennewick School District staff are among 22 heroes who will be recognized on September 27 at 8:00 a.m. at the Lifesaving Awards that will kick off this year’s Governor’s Industrial Safety and Health Conference in Spokane.
The honorees from Desert Hills took action when a seventh-grade student suffered a seizure during P.E. When the student stopped breathing, school staff used the automated external defibrillator (AED) to get the student breathing before they were transported to the hospital.
The Lifesaving Awards recognize individuals or groups that acted quickly and compassionately to identify someone in jeopardy, assess the situation, and take action according to a press release from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
Paraeducator Courtney Bissinger, P.E. Teacher Shaun Suss, Teacher Kurtis Clawson, Security Staff Ken Lattin and Counselor Ben Schuldheisz will all be honored at the 2023 Governor’s Lifesaving Awards.
“When emergencies happen, whether in public or workplaces, people working nearby are often the first ones to help,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director for the Division of Occupational Safety & Health, L &I.
Lifesaving Award winners are selected by a committee of business and labor representatives. According to L&I to be eligible for the award heroes must have administered hands-on aid and the act must fall outside of their regular job requirements.
