Vernon Hills officers honored for lifesaving effort

Vernon Hills police officers Ken James and Ken Maier recently were honored with the Lifesaving Award for their actions involving a medical emergency.

The event is an example of the reason why the police often respond when an ambulance or firetruck is sent to a scene:

Sunday, Aug. 17 was business as usual for the two veteran police officers. That changed at about 9:45 p.m. when James and Maier responded to the home of a 50-year-old woman who was reported to be unconscious and not breathing. The quicker police vehicles that were already on the road arrived before fire department rescue units.

The officers were met by family members who took them to the woman. After it was confirmed that the woman had no pulse and wasn't breathing, one of the officers immediately began chest compressions while the other worked to clear the area and obtain information on the woman that could assist the soon-to-arrive rescue team.

Upon their arrival, units from the Countryside Fire Protection District and Mundelein Fire Department took over the lifesaving efforts and later transported the woman to the hospital.

Thanks to the actions of officers James and Maier, the woman survived and was subsequently released from the hospital five days later.

At the Oct. 7 meeting of the Vernon Hills village board, Chief Mark Fleischhauer presented each officer with the department's Lifesaving Award. Each received a plaque, uniform pin and a medal to signify their actions.

Officers James and Maier have been with the department for 13 and 21 years, respectively. This was the third time Maier was recognized for saving someone's life.