{"id":1638,"date":"2019-03-29T10:55:03","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T17:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/?p=1638"},"modified":"2023-06-26T13:35:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T20:35:03","slug":"lives-at-stake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/2019\/03\/29\/lives-at-stake\/","title":{"rendered":"Lives at stake"},"content":{"rendered":"
I can\u2019t think of a more important job than saving a life.\u00a0 Sometimes it can be in a very controlled environment when skill and precision are paramount \u2013 think of a surgeon in an operating room.\u00a0 Sometimes it can be in the middle of chaos, when faced with a situation we never envisioned.\u00a0 The heroic actions of the King County Metro bus driver, Eric Stark, who got his passengers to safety after being shot in Lake City is an example.\u00a0 And sometimes, it may not involve blood or physical trauma, but mental and emotional wounds.\u00a0 Those are the kind of lifesavers I saw this week.<\/p>\n
I had the honor of participating in the Sheriff Department\u2019s Annual Awards Recognition Ceremony this week.\u00a0 I am always humbled by the experience \u2013 hearing about the actions that rise to the top each year to get special recognition.\u00a0 It may come as no surprise that there are Medal of Valor and Team Medal of Valor awards.\u00a0 But there are also Lifesaving Medal and Team Lifesaving Medal awards.<\/p>\n
This year, the lifesavers recognized are all deputies who intervened in suicide attempts \u2013 stepping up to preserve the life of a person, who at that moment, saw no reason to keep on living.<\/p>\n
In two instances, our patrol deputies acted quickly to grab someone who was already over a rail about to jump.\u00a0 Our Corrections team stopped an inmate who was in the process of hanging himself.\u00a0 In each case, our deputies bought these people time \u2013 time to get well, and to reconsider their future and the value of their life.\u00a0 Thank you, Deputies Adam Pawlak, Chad Thompson, Rees Evans, and Corrections Deputies and Sergeants Jackie Caruso, Tyeanne Lubking, Stan Starks, Robert Miller and Erika Thompson.<\/p>\n
Two additional quick side notes on the Award Ceremony.\u00a0 First, Deputy Dennis Robinson, Corrections Deputy Antonio Graham, and OA Sandra Heideman were awarded the Team Lifesaving Medal, and R. C. Baggett, Facilities Management, and Ginnava Hooft from District Court received a Certificate of Appreciation for the entire group\u2019s quick action to help save a visitor to the CCB when they had a medical emergency.<\/p>\n
Secondly, I proudly watched Deputy Fred Wiggins be recognized as the Law Enforcement Deputy of the Year.\u00a0 He took me on my first ride-a-long as County Executive.\u00a0 Congratulations Deputy Wiggins!<\/p>\nWith Deputy Fred Wiggins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Sadly, as we gathered to celebrate our heroes, another hero on the other side of the mountains was being laid to rest.<\/p>\n
We join the Kittitas County Sheriff\u2019s department and the family of Deputy Ryan Thompson as they mourn his loss.<\/p>\n
Finally, I want to give a special shout out to Julie Williams, the department\u2019s chief of staff.\u00a0 Yesterday, she received the Sheriff\u2019s Core Values Award and today is her last day before she starts her well-earned retirement.\u00a0 Thanks, Julie, for the many years you\u2019ve spent serving our residents \u2013 we appreciate it!<\/p>\n
On Monday, I also had the privilege to celebrate a very different group of lifesavers.<\/p>\n
Did you know that we have about 1,500 children in the foster care system in Pierce County?\u00a0 These are young people who have been removed from their families due to some sort of physical or emotional trauma.<\/p>\n
Try to put yourself in the place of one of these children.\u00a0 You know something is not right with your family, but it is all you know and you are powerless to do anything about it. Then you are suddenly removed from your home by law enforcement or Child Protective Services.\u00a0 You are scared. You don\u2019t know what is happening or why.\u00a0You might be separated from your siblings and may end up moving to several different homes within just a few days.<\/p>\n
In some cases, our system of rescuing a child from a violent or unsafe home life can inflict even more trauma on a child.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s even more shocking is that children in our<\/strong> county are twice as likely to find themselves in foster care than are children from King County<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2019\/03\/Deputy_Wiggins_Executive_Dammeier-2.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2019\/03\/Amara.jpg\")
![\"Bruce\"](\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2017\/01\/Bruce-blue-signature.png\")
<\/p>\n