SANTA ANA, Calif. – February 19, 2020 — University of California, Irvine Police Officer John Zumwalt and Sergeant Eladio Acuna helped save the life of a UPS employee after he was found unconscious and unresponsive in his vehicle. For this heroic and lifesaving action, Zumwalt and Acuna received the American Red Cross Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action on February 19, 2020. 

“The Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action is given to individuals like Officer Zumwalt and Sergeant Acuna who step up in an emergency situation and help save a life,” said Steve Thronson, local Red Cross board member who presented Zumwalt and Acuna with the Lifesaving Award. “These two exemplify the mission of the Red Cross to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies and should be commended for their willingness to help others in distress.”

On October 21, 2019, Officer Zumwalt came upon a stopped delivery van, partially in a grass parkway. Upon investigation, Zumwalt found the van’s driver unconscious, unresponsive and with no pulse. He notified police dispatch and immediately began lifesaving measures. Sergeant Acuna soon arrived on scene with an automated external defibrillator (AED) and together the men performed two-rescuer CPR for over five minutes until Orange County Fire Authority paramedics took over. The man has since made a full recovery. 

Red Cross training empowers people with the knowledge and skills to act in an emergency and save a life. A variety of online, blended (online and in-person skills session) and classroom courses are available at redcross.org/takeaclass. 

If you or someone you know has used skills and knowledge learned in an American Red Cross Training Services course to help save or sustain the life of another individual, visit LifesavingAwards.org to nominate, recognize or be inspired.
For more information about the American Red Cross of Orange County, please visit redcross.org/dts.