City honors lifesaving dispatcher

By ANDREW WELLNER

Frontiersman.com

PALMER — A city dispatcher and the woman she coached through CPR received commendations from the Palmer City Council recently.

The letter that city of Palmer dispatch supervisor Alaina Anderson wrote in commendation of dispatcher, Jenna Blaszak, tells the story behind the award.

Sarah Edgerton and her pastor, Jeff Offord, were helping with work in a field on North Werner Road on May 10 when something went wrong with Offord.

“While working and burning the fields, he started moaning and collapsed. During the 911 call he stopped breathing,” Anderson’s letter reads.

Blaszak is the dispatcher who took that call and talked Edgerton through CPR.

Within eight minutes, Palmer Fire Chief John McNutt was on scene. He got out his portable defibrillator to shock Offord’s heart. McNutt and Edgerton worked together until medics arrived and took over.

According to Anderson, Offord recovered and was out of the hospital by May 29. He was at the ceremony June 24 when Blaszak received a lifesaver pin and Edgerton received a Hero and Bravery Award from the Palmer Police Department.

“Praise the Lord, and I’m just so thankful for those that were at the right place at the right time,” Offord told those gathered for the city council meeting.

Anderson said that the staff at dispatch center worked together seamlessly. As Blaszak gave instructions to Edgerton, the other dispatchers took other incoming calls, gave driving directions to medics, called an air ambulance and let Alaska State Troopers know what was going on.

“Your actions exemplify the highest tradition of police service and protection of human life. You have earned the respect of this department and the community you have chosen to serve,” Anderson wrote in her letter commending Blaszak.

In an e-mail recounting the ceremony at the council meeting, Anderson seemed grateful for the opportunity to talk about the event afterward with Blaszak, Offord and Edgerton.

She said that Blaszak recalled hearing Edgerton say to someone else in the field, “say a prayer!” and that Offord said he hadn’t realized what everyone had gone through on his behalf.

“There were many hugs exchanged (some tears too) and the entire

experience was tremendously joyous,” Anderson wrote.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.