Exchange Club of Champaign will honor Champaign Fire Department’s 2014 Firefighters of the Year Lieutenant Matt Plutz, Acting Engineer Todd Anderson, and Probationary Fire Fighter Jesse Rivera at a noon luncheon on Monday, April 21 at O’Charley’s, 730 W. Town Center Blvd., Champaign. They joined the Champaign Fire Department as follows: Lt. Plutz in July 1997; Acting Eng. Anderson in March 1993; and PFF Rivera in August 2013.
As the crew of Champaign Fire Department’s Ladder 161 on January 8, 2014, they have been selected as the 2014 Firefighters of the Year for their response to provide emergency medical care to 1117 S. Oak St. (Abbott Power Plant) for a female in witnessed cardiac arrest.
Fortunately, an employee was performing CPR upon their arrival. The CFD crew took over patient care, continuing life-saving care. Care was transferred to the medics when they arrived and then Acting Engineer Anderson drove the ambulance to the hospital while Probationary Fire Fighter Rivera continued to assist the medics in the back.
Lt. Plutz and crew provided a vital link in the cardiac arrest survival chain with the best possible outcome – the patient survived.