Submitted photo

Able Medical Transport presented its Life Saving Award to Portsmouth Police Officers Aaron Cooper and Paul Lancaster. Pictured, left to right, is Jon Jenkins CEO of Able Medical Transport, Officer Cooper, Police Chief Robert Ware, Officer Lancaster and Portsmouth Mayor David Malone.

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Ryan Scott Ottney

PDT Staff Writer

Able Medical Transport presented their Life Saving Award to Portsmouth Police Officers Paul Lancaster and Aaron Cooper for going above and beyond the call of duty.

According to Able, their service responded to a call of a man down who was not breathing. The Portsmouth officers were the first on-scene and were a vital part of saving the man’s life. A paramedic for Able said, “these guys where doing great CPR when we walked in, and it really was a huge factor in saving his life. Had these officers not been able to perform CPR the outcome may have been completely different.”

Able Medical Transport, in conjunction with Portsmouth Police Chief Robert Ware and Mayor David Malone, decided that the two officers should be recognized for going above and beyond.

“This just proves why we (Able) decided to donate the AED to the Portsmouth police department and give all PPD staff CPR training. I hope that none of PPD’s staff ever has to use this training however, as we see the results of having our local Officers CPR trained can and will continue to be an excellent thing for our community,” said Able CEO Jon Jenkins. “I look forward to working closely with PPD in the near future to continue building a strong base of officers that are CPR certified. The officers of our community are usually the first ones on-scene and they deserve to have all the tools they need to help protect our community.”

In November, Able donated an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the Portsmouth Police Department, to be installed in a police cruiser and assist officers at the scene of a medical emergency until EMS can arrive. The equipment is valued at $2,200, and Jenkins said they would provide volunteer training to use the devices and help the department find grant money to purchase more.

Most metropolitan areas, Jenkins said, already issue an AED in every police cruiser.

Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 287, or rottney@portsmouth-dailytimes.com.