The Cleveland City Council recently recognized four local first responders with lifesaving awards. Officials presented the awards to Cleveland Police Officers Brandon Wood and Shaka Cantrell, Cleveland Firefighter Connor Smith, and White County Sheriff’s School Resource Officer Jason Davis.
Davis, Wood, and Cantrell were recognized for saving a 71-year-old man’s life just before Christmas.
During the January 16 awards presentation, Cleveland Police Chief Jeff Shoemaker recounted how the three helped revive the man after he fell unconscious to the ground outside a business in Helen on December 22, 2023.
According to Shoemaker, Davis was the first to arrive on the scene. Observing the man had no pulse, he began administering CPR. Corporal Wood and Officer Cantrell arrived to assist him. As Wood took over chest compressions, Cantrell and Davis set up an Automated External Defibrillator and used it to help revive the man.
An ambulance transported the man to a local hospital, where he stayed for several days before returning home to his family.
Cleveland Police Chief Jeff Shoemaker said he recently spoke with the man’s wife, who reported her husband was “up and walking unassisted” and getting better. Shoemaker said the first responders’ quick, decisive actions saved his life.
“Not that you do it for any notoriety, but we are extremely proud of your actions,” he told them.
It is the second life-saving certificate Cantrell has received in the past three months. He was recognized last November for saving a man from a drug overdose.
Two lives in one day
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Cleveland City Council also recognized firefighter Connor Smith for his lifesaving efforts.
Cleveland Fire Chief Ricky Pruitt shared how, also on December 22, 2023, Smith responded with the fire department to a chest pain and difficulty breathing call on Thurmond Road. He said first responders later found out the male patient’s heart stent had kinked, blocking blood flow.
The quick response by Smith and White County EMS made the difference, Pruitt said. They got him to the hospital in time for doctors to replace the stent and save the man’s life.
