2 Cudahy police officers and a citizen honored for lifesaving actions
CUDAHY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Two Cudahy police officers and a citizen were honored Tuesday, Aug. 15, for lifesaving actions earlier this year.
All three who were honored downplayed their heroics, but the gratitude expressed by the people they helped made it clear how critical their actions were.
The first incident was a dangerous fire. In the early morning hours of March 1, Jeffrey Brodzik awoke to his smoke alarm. He got his son out of their apartment, then went door-to-door to alert his neighbors of the fire.
But he couldn't get to the source of the fire, so he helped police officer Madeline Ohm get to a woman who was trapped.
At the ceremony Monday, Brodzik said, "It could have been a lot worse, could have been a lot worse. But I did what I could; got out of the building as quick as I could."
The woman suffered serious burns, but Officer Ohm got her out and helped her until EMS crews arrived.
Officer Ohm told us, "That's what we do on a daily basis, we go from zero to 100 very, very quickly. And there is no time for us to think about our emotions or our feelings or sometimes our own safety."
One month later, police corporal Brandon Stecklein noticed a 20-year-old man was unconscious behind the wheel of his car.
Cpl. Stecklein got him out of the car, but he was having a heart attack and lost his pulse.
He helped perform CPR, and the young man was taken to the hospital and was eventually revived and saved.
Because of that traffic stop, he was diagnosed with a rare heart disorder and is now getting treatment.
Monday night, he was able to thank Cpl. Stecklein for the first time, saying, "Just want to say thank you to Officer Stecklein back there." His mother added, "I second that. Thank you so much for saving my son's life."
Cpl. Stecklein told us, "You're supposed to expect the unexpected, but a 20-year-old having some medical emergency the way he was? That's just something out of left field."
Both officers and Brodzik were awarded lifesaving pins. The officers will wear them on their uniforms.