Crime & Safety
Gulfport Firefighter to Receive Medal of Valor
An off-duty Gulfport firefighter helped save a 2-year-old boy from a drowning in a backyard pool.
Gulfport Firefighter and EMT Christopher Mathis will receive the Gulfport Fire Department's Medal of Valor Award during the Tuesday night City Council Meeting. The ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. at Gulfport City Hall.
Mathis was selected for the award after he helped a neighbor administer CPR to a 2-year-old boy who was pulled from the bottom of a pool.
On June 12, Mathis was in his front yard of his Pinellas Park home when a neighbor called for help. He responded to a nearby home and found the toddler in full cardiac arrest from a drowning in the family's pool. Another neighbor, Laura Karlhofer, was already there giving the boy Life Saving Cardiopulmonary Resucitation (CPR). Mathis helped Karlhofer until emergency personnel arrived.
They later learned the little boy survived the drowning with no neurological deficit and was home doing well the very next day.
Hear more from Chris Mathis in our article, "Gulfport Firefighter, Neighbor Save Toddler Pulled from Pool."
For more information:
Mathis was selected for the award after he helped a neighbor administer CPR to a 2-year-old boy who was pulled from the bottom of a pool.
On June 12, Mathis was in his front yard of his Pinellas Park home when a neighbor called for help. He responded to a nearby home and found the toddler in full cardiac arrest from a drowning in the family's pool. Another neighbor, Laura Karlhofer, was already there giving the boy Life Saving Cardiopulmonary Resucitation (CPR). Mathis helped Karlhofer until emergency personnel arrived.
They later learned the little boy survived the drowning with no neurological deficit and was home doing well the very next day.
Hear more from Chris Mathis in our article, "Gulfport Firefighter, Neighbor Save Toddler Pulled from Pool."
For more information:
CPR Certification
Most local fire departments will offer CPR certification.
Links:
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Pool Safety
Gulfport Fire Chief James Marenkovic says parents need layers of protection. Those include fences, child-proof door knobs, alarms, etc.
Find out what's happening in Gulfportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
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