Black Hawk College recently celebrated the courage and service of local first responders at their 5th Annual First Responders Appreciation & Criminal Justice Career Exploration Day. Held on the Quad-Cities Campus in Moline, this event drew more than 200 students who engaged with over 20 first-responder agencies to explore career opportunities. Black Hawk College received 71 award nominations for the 2024 First Responder Awards.
Black Hawk College recently honored heroes from the Sterling Police Department. Officer Alex Kraus was awarded the First Responder Hero Award for rescuing a family dog from a burning home, while Officer Justin Hackbarth received a Certificate of Appreciation for his life-saving efforts. The Rock Island Fire Department was nominated for First Responder Agency of the Year, recognizing its dedication to over 8,000 emergency calls. Additionally, Target employees Kelcey Duffield and Quinn Heron were recognized with the Civilian First Responder Hero Award for their prompt action during a medical emergency in their store.
First Responder Hero Award 2024
Officer Alex Kraus, Sterling Police Department
Certificate of Appreciation
Officer Justin Hackbarth, Sterling Police Department
On Dec. 31, 2023, around 5 a.m., the Bellows family was awakened by the barking of their dog, Shango. They realized their house was on fire. Mrs. Bellow and her three children were able to safely escape their home using the back door, but Shango was trapped at the front of the house. Officer Alex Kraus received the emergency call and arrived at the scene. Despite the heavy smoke and danger, Officer Kraus bravely entered the home to rescue Shango. With the help of Officer Justin Hackbarth, they performed CPR and successfully revived him. After carrying Shango to a safe place in the front yard, the two officers continued resuscitating the dog.
First Responder Agency of the Year Award 2024
Rock Island Fire Department
The Rock Island Fire Department has been nominated by several submissions. In the past year, the department has responded to more than 8,000 calls for assistance, including more than 6,000 medical responses and more than 2,000 fire or other emergency rescue responses. The Rock Island Fire Department is proud to be an industry leader in handling pre-hospital cardiac arrests. Over 55% of all cardiac arrest patients in Rock Island achieve a return to spontaneous circulation. Of these, more than 38% are admitted to the hospital, and more than 11% return home alive and well.
Civilian First Responder Hero Award 2024
Kelcey Duffield and Quinn Heron, Target employees
In the summer of 2024, Kelcey Duffield and Quinn Heron responded to a medical emergency involving a guest in their store. Heron quickly called 911, and Duffield instructed another leader to get the AED before beginning chest compressions. Duffield and Heron applied the AED to the guest and continued chest compressions until the machine recommended a shock. A shock was administered, and compressions continued until EMS arrived moments later and took over care. Two years ago, Target began providing CPR/AED certification to store leaders and equipped each store with a top-of-the-line AED machine. Thanks to this training, Duffield and Heron were able to provide critical care in those vital early moments.
Certificate of Appreciation
Kyle Beale, Carley Behning, Hayley Keller, Zack Micklewright, Matt Mueller, Amanda Stockdale and Preston Woods, MEDIC EMS, and the Davenport Fire Department
In the summer of 2024, the MEDIC EMS team responded to a critical emergency at the Target store in Davenport, Iowa, where a customer was found unresponsive in an aisle. Thanks to the quick actions of Target employees who initiated CPR and used an AED, the team was able to restore the patient’s pulse upon arrival. The patient then was transported to the hospital and stabilized for further care.
