DANSVILLE – Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Captain Norman Zeh sent a letter of gratitude to Dansville Police Officer Shannon Griese for quickly and professionally saving the life of a man who fell from a riding lawnmower while overdosing on opiate drugs on April 28.
Though the man was at first unresponsive, Officer Griese administered two doses of Narcan with the assistance of a Dansville Ambulance crew, and the man began to breathe on his own.
“It was just the good responding that any of our officers would have done,” said Griese. “This is really about the Dansville Police Department and the work they do every day.”
Just 11 days later, Dansville Police saved another life with Narcan.
Captain Zeh’s letter is as follows:
Dear Shannon,
I just wanted to take a moment and recognize the excellent job that you did on the afternoon of Thursday, April 28, 2016. Our patrol cars and the Dansville Ambulance were dispatched to the scene of a male subject found unresponsive on the ground near his lawn mower. I was working the road that afternoon as the on shift supervisor, and heard the call, and upon checking the location of our patrol car, knew that we were quite a distance away from the scene. I was about to request that you respond, due to this being a priority 1, life threatening incident, but you spoke up on your own, and volunteered to go render assistance until other help could arrive. Your willingness to pitch in and help a citizen in their time of need is exactly the teamwork attitude that makes our county a great place to live, and the same ideal that I try to instill into the LCSO road patrol.
Once you arrived on scene, you put your own medical knowledge to work, and recognized that this may be some type of overdose, and appropriately administered Narcan. It took two doses, but the man regained consciousness, and I believe that your efforts made a great impact in preserving his health and well being. I was even more grateful for your actions when I later learned that the man was a brother to one of my coworkers here at the Sheriff’s Office. I am fearful of what the outcome may have been if you had not responded and reacted so appropriately.
So, in closing, I commend you in your efforts not only on this call, but also for the job you do each and every day in your role as a Dansville Police Officer. I get to see you in action, both as a road patrol supervisor, and as a village resident, and I recognize the hard work that you put in to make life in the village better. Keep up the good work, it does not go unnoticed.
Sincerely,
Captain Norman D. Zeh
Cc: Mayor Vogt
Chief Perkins
Sheriff Dougherty
Chief Deputy Burgess