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Mt. Lebanon honors police officers, firefighters

By Harry Funk 3 min read
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Mt. Lebanon Officer Thomas Rutowski is congratulated on his Life Saver Award by Chief Aaron Lauth.

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Lt. Dan Hyslop, left, is presented with the Life Saver Award by Chief Aaron Lauth.

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Bill Dougherty was named Firefighter of the Year.

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Deputy Chief Rodger Ricciuti, left, was presented with the Fire Officer of the Year Award by Chief Nick Sohyda.

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Kelly Fraasch, commission president, helped present the awards to firefighters.

In its history of presenting Life Saver Awards, the Mt. Lebanon Police Department usually has honored its officers for taking such measures as performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation or using an automated external defibrillator.

“We’ve seen an epidemic sweep across our country related to heroin, related to opiates and opiate overdoses,” Chief Aaron Lauth said at the Jan. 25 Mt. Lebanon Commission meeting. “All three of our awards tonight will actually be for officers deploying nasal naloxone to ultimately bring people out of the effects of an opiate overdose.”

Honored were Lt. Dan Hyslop and Officer Thomas Rutowski, who actually received a pair of commendations for helping two people on separate occasions.

Police are equipped with Narcan, the nasal-spray version of naloxone hydrochloride, a medication that stops or reverses the effects of opioid overdose.

On Nov. 6, Hyslop administered the medication to an unresponsive man with a reported history of drug use, Lauth said.

Rutowski responded to incidents on Dec. 4 at a Bower Hill residence, helping a woman, and Dec. 27 at Elm Spring Road, assisting a man. Those marked the third and fourth time Rutowski responded to calls in which he saved a life, according to the chief.

Lauth also announced the promotion of three officers – Mike Smakosz, Josh Chops and Patrick O’Brien – to the rank of corporal, which took effect Jan. 4.

“We rely on our corporals as kind of our go-to officers on the road to answer questions and handle the initial response to critical incidents,” the chief said.

Along with the police commendations and promotions, two Mt. Lebanon firefighters were presented with honors during the commission meeting.

Bill Dougherty was named Firefighter of the Year, given to the volunteer who demonstrates outstanding service to the fire department and community. Dougherty, who was nominated by fellow firefighters, attended the most calls off-duty for the second consecutive year, and he participates in the fire and life safety education programs at local schools.

“He’s one of the most unassuming, humble folks who just does everything you want him to do in a very quiet and professional manner,” fire Chief Nick Sohyda said.

Honored as Fire Officer of the Year was Deputy Chief Rodger Ricciuti, a 33-years member of the department. He serves in a leadership role for the South Hills Area Council of Governments’ Technical Rescue Team and is a member of the Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Strike Team.

“He’s kind of the go-to guy for everything,” Sohyda said. “When we need someone to remember something, Rodger’s our man.”

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