In a life and death situation, some may not know the right course of action.
Well due to his training, and quick thinking, a Redmond police officer knew exactly what to do and saved the day.
“I got a medical call to an address in Redmond,” said Jordan Uppendahl, a Police Officer with the Redmond Police Department.
When officer Jordan Uppendhal arrived, he found an adult male lying on the floor.
“Who was unconscious, not breathing, not responsive to anything that I could say or do to him,” Uppendahl said.
That’s when Uppendahl picked the man up and performed the Heimlich maneuver, expelling a large piece of steak from the man’s throat.
Uppendahl credits the station’s thorough training for his quick actions.
“So we work very closely with the fire department who provides a very good level of training because once we get so much training in us, we can just revert back to that instead of our human nature,” Uppendahl said.
According to Uppendahl, incidents like this happen a lot more than you’d think.
He’s responded to several choking incidents, and says the best way to help an officer is by giving them as much information as possible.
“Kind of assess the situation and give the best information that they can,” Uppendahl said.
As for Uppendahl’s heroic deed, he considers it just a part of the job.
“I didn’t really think about it much,” Uppendahl said “Just went on to the next call.”
But what did stick with him is the family he helped.
“The little kid that was there has a grandfather to look forward to growing up with at least another day,” Uppendahl said.
We reached out to the man Uppendahl saved, but were unable to make contact.
Officer Uppendahl did not get a chance to speak with the man he saved, however he does wish him and his family the best.
