(Source: Teamsters Local 700 website, October 18, 2013)
CHICAGO, Ill. — East Hazel Crest Police Officer Mitchell Drake was responding to a gas leak when a dispatcher called and redirected him to help a family whose baby stopped breathing.
Officer Drake met the family as they were on the way to the hospital. When arriving at the scene, he observed that the baby was discolored in the face and was not receiving oxygen. He brought the 19-month-old to his squad car where he began CPR stimulation techniques, a method used to resuscitate babies since traditional CPR could damage a baby’s developing lungs. Officer Drake explained that the point of CPR stimulation techniques is to irritate the baby enough so that she will start crying, prompting her airways to open on their own.
“Once I heard her starting to cry, I knew she was breathing again, I knew she was getting oxygen again. That was a huge feeling of relief,” said Officer Drake.
The ambulance arrived shortly after Officer Drake’s successful attempts to revive the baby girl, and she was immediately placed on oxygen as the EMTs continued the CPR stimulation techniques to keep her airways open.
“Any other officer who was called out would have done the same thing I did, we’ve all received the training for these situations. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and luckily that made a difference for the baby and her family,” said Officer Drake.
The South Suburban Chiefs of Police Association recognized Officer Drake by presenting him with the Life Saving Award.
“We could not be more proud of Officer Drake for his heroic efforts,” said Local 700 President Becky Strzechowski. “His story exemplifies the risks that our members take and the differences our members make as public employees, whether it’s responding to a gas leak or saving a life.”
With 32 years in law enforcement, Officer Drake’s career experience includes investigations, homicides, serving as the assistant chief of police and he spending two years with the FBI. Before joining the East Hazel Crest Police Department, Officer Drake was a police officer in Decatur, Ill. for 16 years.
Teamsters Local 700 represents more than 6,000 members in the law enforcement community in Chicago and across Illinois.