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Garbers receives lifesaving award

Clintonville officer helped save a choking infant

By Bert Lehman


Clintonville Police Officer Kaytlyn Garbers received a lifesaving award after she helped save the life of a 5-week-old infant.

Garbers was presented the award at the April 12 Clintonville City Council meeting.

Clintonville Police Chief Craig Freitag told the council that on March 15, Garbers responded to a call for an infant who was choking, turning blue and not responding.

“When she arrived on scene, she made contact with the parents of the 5-week-old child,” Freitag said. “After initial observations of the child, the training quickly kicked in, and she checked for a pulse and found no pulse. She also observed no signs of the child breathing. The child was also blue in color.”

Freitag said Garbers immediately began using lifesaving measures, including CPR chest compressions.

“After about 40 chest compressions, the child began crying and breathing,” Freitag said. “All the while she was preforming CPR, she remained calm, and was gathering information from the parents on the scene.”

After the Clintonville Area Ambulance Service took over, Garbers began comforting the parents of the child, Freitag said.

“Because of her calm demeanor, quick assessment and training, her efforts successfully saved a human life that day,” Freitag said. “We are very proud of her actions that day. The professionalism she displayed that day is remarkable under those circumstances.”

Garbers is a part-time officer for the Clintonville Police Department, starting with the department in December 2021. This is her first patrol officer position. Prior to joining the Clintonville Police Department, Garbers worked for the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer.

Sarah Gorman, the mother of the child, told the council that she never expected that she would need to call 911 for her infant son.

“But when we did, the best people were there,” Gorman said. “Thank you to Officer Garbers for totally taking over because I was a wreck, and we wouldn’t be standing here today if it weren’t for you. Thank you so, so much for all you do. Thank you to the rest of the squad for all you do and all your work. I can never thank you enough.”

Garbers said that without the help of the parents of the child, she would not have been able to save the infant.

“They had him in the perfect position for us to help,” Garbers said. “They were making sure they stood back. They provided any information we asked for. They remained calm, they remained calm with dispatch, and that would have been the only way we would have been able to get there when we did.

“I really have to extend a hand out to both of them because without what they did, I would not have been able to do anything when I got there.”

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