MTS Board Chair Georgette Gómez recognized MTS security officers for saving life of colleague; AED device used in incident
San Diego, Calif.: – When San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Security Officer Carlos Paredes collapsed from cardiac arrest at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center on February 9, the quick actions taken by seven of his colleagues in MTS Security helped save his life. Thanks to his colleagues’ training in CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) use, Officer Paredes was able to attend today’s MTS Board of Directors meeting, during which the seven officers that worked together to save his life were recognized.
MTS Board Chair Georgette Gómez presented the officers with a plaque recognizing their life-saving efforts. “It is not an exaggeration to state that Officer Paredes would likely not be here today without the efforts of the seven officers,” said Gómez. “Together, as a team, they performed a heroic act to save the life of a fellow human being.”
On Friday, February 9, while on duty, Officer Paredes collapsed at the 12th & Imperial Station near the MTS headquarters. He was quickly moved to a safe location by fellow officers Jeremy Echeverria and Brandon Garcia, who radioed MTS Central Control and requested paramedics. Seconds later, Officer Alex Masciovecchio arrived at the scene, determined that Paredes had no pulse and began to perform CPR for several minutes, with the assistance of Sgt. Isaiah Alexander and Sgt. Carlos Caldelas. Two other MTS security officers, Steven Gil and Lt. Corwin Taylor, retrieved an AED and used the device on Officer Paredes, who was moments later resuscitated by paramedics arriving at the scene.
The seven officers were recognized for their heroic actions by the MTS Board of Directors during today’s public meeting. The actions taken by the officers are an excellent example of the dedication and professionalism of the MTS Transit Enforcement personnel.
MTS operates 95 bus routes and three Trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway. Every weekday more than 300,000 passenger trips are taken on MTS bus and Trolley services in 10 cities and the county. In FY 2017, MTS served more than 88 million riders. For more information on how you can use public transportation and save money, go to www.sdmts.com.
Photo:
Front (pink shirt): MTS Officer Carlos Paredes benefited from the quick life-saving actions of his colleagues and an AED device
Back (from L to R): MTS Board Vice Chair Mona Rios, MTS Chief Executive Officer Paul Jablonski, MTS Board Chair Georgette Gómez, MTS Chief of Police Manny Guaderrama, MTS Security Officers Steven Gil, Carlos Caldelas, Brandon Garcia, Alex Masiovecchio, MTS Deputy Director of Transit Enforcement Tim Curran, MTS Security Officers Jeremy Echeverria, Corwin Taylor and Isaiah Alexander
