DETROIT (WWJ) - Two Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are being honored for saving the life of an unresponsive woman experiencing a suspected drug overdose on Belle Isle last November.
Ariel Young and Brandon Vacek both received the DNR's Lifesaving Award for their efforts in saving the woman during the incident on the island back on Nov. 13, 2022.
According to the DNR, the two officers were dispatched to a medical emergency near the James Scott Memorial Fountain, located at Fountain Drive and Sunset Drive, just before 6 p.m.
The officers met up at the scene and found an unresponsive woman in the backseat of a vehicle where her friends were attempting to revive her with CPR.
Young removed the woman from the vehicle and placed her on the ground. When checking her vitals, Young detected a faint pulse and began sternal rubs to try and help her regain consciousness.
When the woman failed to come-to, the DNR said Young administered two doses of NARCAN, a medication used to reverse or reduce effects from suspected opioid use, and continued sternal rubs.
After receiving the second dose of NARCAN, the woman regained consciousness and had a conversation with the officers. EMS personnel arrived at the scene around 6:05 p.m. and took over her care.
After consulting a doctor over the phone, the woman was discharged from the ambulance, the DNR said. Her name was not released.
According to the DNR, both Young and Vacek graduated from the DNR's Conservation Officer Recruit School Academy in 2018. Both are assigned to patrol southeast Michigan.