Columbia firefighter recognized by city for saving restaurant worker

Various Columbia-Richland firefighters and civilians were recognized Tuesday afternoon for...
Various Columbia-Richland firefighters and civilians were recognized Tuesday afternoon for assisting an unconscious kitchen worker at the Blue Marlin restaurant back in January.(The City of Columbia Public Relations , Media and Marketing Department)
Published: Mar. 8, 2023 at 10:39 AM EST
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Various Columbia-Richland firefighters were recognized Tuesday afternoon for assisting an unconscious kitchen worker at the Blue Marlin restaurant back in January.

Fire Captain William Cunningham, Senior Firefighter William Harrelson, Senior Firefighter Patrick Hayes, and Firefighter Robert Ford, Jr., received the City’s Safety Medallion during a city council meeting on March 7.

On the morning of Jan. 12, a kitchen worker at the Blue Marlin had been found unconscious and Maegan Horton, the executive chef at the restaurant, began to perform CPR.

According to the staff at the restaurant, the worker became unresponsive and passed out while he was in a walk-in cooler at the restaurant.

Officials say 911 was called and CPR efforts continued once firefighters arrived on the scene. An automated external defibrillator (AED) was also used on the patient.

The unconscious worker was rushed from the scene by Richland County EMS and has since made a full recovery.

“I’m very thankful that the firefighters showed up as quickly as they did,” Horton said.

During a Thursday, Feb. 23 award presentation at the restaurant Columbia-Richland Fire Chief Aubrey D. Jenkins presented the CRFD Phoenix Award to the four firefighters and three Richland County EMS staff members that responded to the call.

On that same day, the restaurant received a Certificate of Commendation from CRFD.

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