OCEA members honored at Medal of Valor event
SSOs Spencer Sheflin (left) and Rafael Ojeda along with SSO Carlos Castro (not pictured) receive Medals for Lifesaving at the Medal of Valor Luncheon last week.
Last week, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department held its Medal of Valor Luncheon to recognize the efforts of its workers to keep our community safe.
OCEA members and Sheriff’s Special Officers Carlos Castro, Rafael Ojeda and Spencer Sheflin were awarded the Medal for Lifesaving after rendering aid to a man in cardiac arrest at John Wayne Airport. The 63-year old man had no pulse and was turning blue when Rafael and Spencer responded to frantic pleas for help from the man’s wife and son.
The two SSOs extracted the victim from his car and began administering CPR. Carlos arrived with a defibrillator and the three used their professional training and experience to get the man breathing on his own. In a few critical minutes, the action taken by the SSOs changed everything for the victim and his family.
Dispatchers Jena Nally and Wendy Vanover received the Medal of Merit. They used their training and experience in an incident where a San Juan Capistrano man opened fire with an automatic rifle on deputies responding to a domestic violence call.
You can look at the dramatic footage by clicking here.
Wendy handled the original call from the shooter’s distraught wife. She was able to get vital information the deputies would need: That there was an emotionally unstable man in the garage armed with a powerful weapon.
Jena was working the radio and effectively managed calls to additional units racing to the scene even while listening to gunfire in her headset. The judgment, professionalism and decisive action taken by Wendy and Jena contributed to a good outcome. The man quickly surrendered with no injuries to anyone.
Every day, OCEA members working at the County, Courts, Cities, and Special Districts stand together to keep our community healthy, safe and secure.
We are proud of the work you do and consider it an honor to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you to fight for the job security and fair wages needed to care for your own families as you protect ours.
Publication Date: March 28, 2017