City of Alachua

On August 5, 2009, two City of Alachua employees were recognized by the American Red Cross for their heroic efforts in saving the life of another City employee. Greg Snowden and Danny Watson were awarded the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit for their quick response to a potentially life threatening situation.

Mr. Martin Salamone, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the North Central Florida Chapter, provided the following introduction, which underscored the significance of the award, when he introduced Mr. Snowden and Mr. Watson and presented them with the award.

With all of the areas of service that the American Red Cross is involved in, we are continually reminded that it is individuals who truly carry out the work of the American Red Cross.  It is our volunteers who respond to local disasters and it is the people we train that save the lives of family, friends, co-workers and many time strangers.

Today we are honored to present the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit to Danny Watson and Carl Snowden for helping to save the life of their co-worker Raul Colon.

On April 24, 2008, Carl Snowden and Danny Watson, trained in American Red Cross First Aid, saved the life of Raul Colon.  While having lunch alone at work, Raul started choking.  Raul grabbed a chair and thrust himself over it to give himself an abdominal thrust.  It worked, but when Raul gasped for air the item got stuck deeper in his throat.  Raul walked to the door as Carl and Danny were driving up.  They asked if Raul was choking and he nodded yes.  Carl and Danny performed abdominal thrust dislodging the food and Raul was able to breathe again.  Without a doubt, the skills learned in the American Red Cross Health and Safety Services course and used by Carl G. Snowden and Danny Watson contributed to saving Raul Colon’s life.

The Certificate of Merit is the highest award given by the American Red Cross to an individual or team of individuals who saves or sustains a life by using skills and knowledge learned in an American Red Cross Health and Safety Services course.  The certificate bears the signature of the President of the United States, who is the honorary chairman of the American Red Cross, and the signature of the chairman of the American Red Cross.

Thank you all for attending the meeting.  It was great to see so many there to take part in the event

Mr. Snowden and Mr. Watson are licensed professionals in the City’s water distribution system. All City personnel receive periodic Red Cross training as part of their regular job duties.