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Columbia Falls honors two officers with lifesaving awards
Summary
Two Columbia Falls officers received lifesaving awards after on-scene actions in January: one administered naloxone to a suspected overdose victim; another cleared a choking obstruction and revived a woman, the chief said.
The Columbia Falls Police Department presented lifesaving awards to two officers for separate January incidents in which their actions were credited with saving lives, the police chief announced during the council meeting.
The chief described an incident on Jan. 13 when an officer (referred to in the meeting record as Officer Friesen; the transcript elsewhere uses alternate spellings Dreesen/Creason) responded to a vehicle‑versus‑building collision on West First Avenue. The officer found the driver convulsing with abnormal breathing, completed a medical assessment, administered naloxone and remained on scene to verify the driver was medically stable before continuing an investigation that resulted in a DUI arrest, the chief said.
In a separate incident on Jan. 23, officers responded to a 911 report of a 22‑year‑old woman choking on a food item. Officer Hall arrived, performed a maneuver that cleared the obstruction and restored the woman’s ability to breathe, the chief said; the chief called both actions “directly responsible for saving their lives.”
Council members and the mayor commended the officers’ quick responses. The awards were presented in council chambers; no disciplinary or policy actions were discussed.
