The Lee County Port Authority recognized 16 individuals with a Phoenix Award at the Airports Special Management Committee (ASMC) meeting on Feb. 23, 2010. The Phoenix Award is recognized nationally and given to rescuers in acknowledgement of their efforts in saving the life of an individual in full cardiac or respiratory arrest.

The first award was given for a cardiac arrest inside the terminal at Southwest Florida International Airport on July 4, 2009. A team administered life-saving treatment that resulted in the patient being stabilized and transported to a local hospital. The patient recovered and was released. Individuals recognized with a Phoenix Award for this incident were: Scott Campbell – JetBlue Airways; Joseph Oginski – airport bystander; John Heald – Airport Police Department (APD) officer; Shaun Pegler – APD officer; Joshua Rimes – Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) captain; Karl Detscher – ARFF technician; Henry Garcia – ARFF technician; Jeff Thrower – ARFF engineer; Jose Gonzales – ARFF fire fighter.

The second award given was for an incident that occurred on July 7, 2009 in the air cargo building at Southwest Florida International Airport. An ARFF team responded to an unconscious patient. As treatment was being administered, the patient suddenly stopped breathing and went into respiratory arrest. The team administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that enabled the patient to be transported to a local hospital where he was eventually released. Individuals recognized with a Phoenix Award for this incident were: Brian Swartout – ARFF captain; Patrick Brennan – ARFF technician; Tony Graham – ARFF technician; John Schmitt – ARFF technician; Ted Pickering – ARFF technician; Matthew Magoon – ARFF technician; Arthur Smithwick – ARFF engineer.

Southwest Florida International Airport served more than 7.4 million passengers in 2009 and is one of the top 50 U.S. airports for passenger traffic. No ad valorem (property) taxes are used for airport operation or construction. For more information, log onto www.flylcpa.com.

Source: Lee County Port Authority