Three Sequim police officers were presented with life saving awards during Monday’s City Council meeting for their roles in saving a man who had been struck by a hit and run pickup truck on Highway 101 east of Sequim earlier this month.  Witnesses said the man, identified as 66-year-old Lawrence Sherer of Mukilteo had been fighting with another man on the Highway near the “Welcome to Sequim” elk sign at Simdars Road around 11 pm October 8.

Officers Devin McBride, Ella Mildon and Chris Moon were the first to arrive. Sequim Deputy Mayor Rachel Anderson read from the proclamation:

“Officer Mildon arrived first and observed a female doing chest compressions on a male in the middle of the highway. She immediately checked for a pulse and started life saving measures.  As other officers and sheriff’s deputies arrived, they took over chest compressions. Officer Mildon retrieved her AED and handed it off to Officer McBride while officer Moon and others continued CPR. Officers and Deputies continued life saving measures for approximates seven minutes until EMS staff arrived on scene and took over patient care.”

Sherer was airlifted on a Life Flight helicopter to Seattle’s Harborview Hospital in what a State Patrol spokesperson was in “Very Critical” condition.

Police Chief Mike Hill:

“I do think it’s important to recognize officers for saving human life because there’s no way you can put a value on that. So the recognition that they receive for an invaluable service is well deserved.  As you can imagine when they showed up on scene on October 8th it was chaotic and violent. And that’s an understatement based on what we saw and what the investigation revealed. But these three immediately went to work on what their number one priority was and that saving someone’s life.”

The second person involved in the fight on the Highway is not know.  He go into his vehicle and sped away.  The driver of the hit and run pickup turned herself in at the Clallam County courthouse the next morning. 

Veteran Sequim Police Officer Mark Poole was presented with the department’s life saving award during last week’s City Council meeting for his efforts to save a man from jumping from the River Road Bridge overpass at Highway 101.  A proclamation read by Deputy Mayor Rachel Anderson said Poole was first to arrive on scene to a 911 call the afternoon of August 20 that a man had climbed over a railing and looked like he was going to jump. After a minute and a half Poole “determined that he had to take action because the man was refusing help and refused to step off the railing.”

“Due to the immediate danger the male posed to himself and the potential danger to operators of vehicles on the highway below, Office Poole took decisive action and secured the male effectively preventing him from jumping off the bridge.  Once secured Officer Mark Poole continued conversing with the male in a calm voice in an attempt to help him through his crisis. Officer Poole continued to engage the male with kind conversation until a designated crisis responder arrived and spoke with the male. Just before the male was transported to the hospital Officer Poole gave the male a final salutation and wished him well.”

Police Chief Mike Hill:

“I think calm, cool and collected is cliché that’s often overused. That’s literally how Mark operates day to day and probably the reason why he was able to show up on scene.  A little follow up to that is because we do have a designated crisis responder through Peninsula Behavioral Health embedded with our department we were able to do follow up services and make sure that the individual got more appropriate help that he needed.”

Hill says Poole is the longest serving officer in the department, beginning in 1995.  During that time he has been named Officer of the year, and most recently partner of the year – an award voted on by piers as the officer they would most like to have on a call with them.

“And I think Mark’s demeanor and consistency that he’s known for is why they would want him there with them much like he was able to save a life on August 20th. 

After the announcement last week that the Blue Mountain and Port Angeles Regional Transfer stations would no longer be accepting glass for recycling, the City of Sequim is reminding residents there are still places where glass can be recycled. Because Sequim uses a different glass recycling processor than most of the rest of the Olympic Peninsula, glass can continue to be dropped off for recycling at two drop box locations – at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Hemlock just outside the City Shop yard, and at Evergreen Collision at 703 E. Washington Street. Olympic Disposal transports that mixed glass to the Olympia area where it is added to concrete used in landscaping and other products. 

The fallout from the hurricanes on the east coast is beginning to be felt here on the North Olympic Peninsula.  Forks Community hospital has suspended all elective, non-emergent procedures due to a disruption of IV fluid supplies caused by the impact of Hurricane Helene.  The hospital says in a Facebook posting it that is has immediately suspended  elective procedures in order to have enough IV supplies for patients with urgent medical needs. The suspension comes after the Washington State Hospital Association has advised hospitals across the state to conserve their supplies of IV fluid after a major manufacturer of the fluids, the Baxter facility in North Carolina, was impacted by Hurricane Helene.  The facility supplies approximately 60 percent, or 1.5 million bags of the solution used in hospitals every day across the country.

 WSHA President and CEO Cassie Sauer says, “Unfortunately, the current supply chain disruption means that some procedures  that are not as time-sensitive may be delayed.  However, the longer procedures are delayed, the sicker patients can get. It is not an acceptable long-term solution.”

The Forks hospital says it will continue to monitor this national IV shortage and provide updates as possible.