Detroit, MI - During a department staff meeting Monday, February 13, 2023 in Livonia, two DNR conservation officers received Lifesaving Awards for their response to a medical situation that occurred on Belle Isle in November.
On Nov. 13, 2022, Conservation Officers Ariel Young and Brandon Vacek responded to an emergency dispatch call regarding an unresponsive woman at the Detroit island park.
With unclear details as to the woman’s location, Young located a group of people near the James Scott Memorial Fountain, located at Fountain Drive and Sunset Drive, at 5:59 p.m.
Vacek met Young at the scene where the unresponsive woman’s friends were attempting to perform CPR on her in the backseat of a vehicle.
Vacek attempted to keep the group calm while collecting information about the woman.
Young removed the woman from the vehicle, gently laid her on the ground and detected a faint pulse. The woman was unresponsive, so Young began sternal rubs to help her regain consciousness. With the woman still unresponsive, Young administered two doses of NARCAN while continuing sternal rubs.
NARCAN is a medication used for suspected opioid use, commonly administered through the nose.
After the second dose of NARCAN, the woman regained full consciousness and was able to maintain a conversation.
EMS arrived at 6:05 p.m. and assessed the woman’s vitals. After consulting with a hospital doctor via phone, the woman was discharged from the ambulance.
The DNR is not releasing the name of the woman.
Young and Vacek are graduates of the DNR’s 2018 Conservation Officer Recruit School Academy and patrol in southeast Michigan.
Michigan conservation officers are fully commissioned law enforcement officers who provide natural resources protection, ensure recreational safety, and protect residents through general law enforcement and conducting lifesaving operations in the communities they serve. Learn more at Michigan.gov/ConservationOfficers.