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Riverdale honors recreation staff and off‑duty responders after CPR save at rec center
Summary
Riverdale City recognized recreation staff and off‑duty firefighters and volunteers after a recreation‑center visitor received CPR and defibrillation; officials credited training, deployed AEDs and quick action for a positive outcome.
Riverdale City on Tuesday formally recognized recreation‑center workers, off‑duty firefighters and other residents who stepped in when a person became unconscious at the city recreation center and required CPR.
The council and public‑safety leaders presented certificates to the rec‑center employees who initiated CPR and to off‑duty responders who assisted until city crews arrived. Chief Rich Hennessy credited the presence of automated external defibrillators and the training of staff and volunteers for improving the patient’s chances.
The recognition was led by Chief Rich Hennessy, who described how recreation employees Jake Kiltz, Karen Dilley and Bailey Peterson started CPR and prepared an AED while other off‑duty personnel — identified in remarks as Riverdale off‑duty responders Casey Jeffries, Marcus Garcia and Cordell Watts — and an off‑duty Weber Fire District firefighter, Christie Hyer, assisted before the ambulance crew arrived. Hennessy said the combined actions and the city’s placement of AEDs made “a difference at least in one person’s life.”
Mayor and council members also thanked additional off‑duty responders who were not able to attend, and they noted training by the county USAR heavy‑rescue team nearby had put experienced rescuers in the building at the time of the emergency. The mayor presented certificates of appreciation to the staff and volunteers and told the audience the council wanted to publicly acknowledge their actions.
The council emphasized the event as an example of cross‑agency cooperation: Riverdale staff, off‑duty city responders, and nearby firefighters all acted together before on‑duty units could return to the scene. The mayor and Chief Hennessy said the episode illustrated why investment in training and lifesaving equipment such as AEDs is important for public safety.
Riverdale did not provide medical updates on the patient during the meeting and noted medical privacy and patient confidentiality in handling outcome details.
The council presentation concluded with certificates to the named rec‑center employees and acknowledgments to the off‑duty firefighters and volunteers who assisted that day.
