The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce held its 12th annual Salute to Local Heroes dinner on Thursday, March 12 at Sycuan Casino. Chamber honors heroes at annual eventThe annual celebration honors the brave men and women that are chosen by their respective emergency services organizations for their accomplishments.

This year’s heroes honored were: American Medical Response paramedics Chris Torres and Paramedic Keenan Wayne; Heartland Fire & Rescue Captain Chip Tidball; La Mesa Police Department Crime Prevention Specialist Claudia Ortega and Master Officer Colin Atwood; and La Mesa Police Department Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol officers Tita Boatright and Pat Olow.

Chris Torres, paramedic — American Medical Response

Chris Torres has been a paramedic with American Medical Response San Diego since 2018. He has been assigned to Medic 255 serving the citizens of La Mesa his entire career. He recently married his Wife, Cindy and purchased a home in Fletcher Hills.

Torres was recognized for a cardiac arrest “save” that occurred in La Mesa in February of 2019. He responded to a call to assist a male patient found to be in cardiac arrest after ingesting a substance initially believed to be cocaine, but was later determined to have been cocaine laced with Fentanyl. Based on a thorough assessment and their clinical experience, Torres and the first responders from Heartland Fire and Rescue Engine 11 administered Narcan to the patient, while performing CPR and other advanced life support interventions. They successfully resuscitated the patient on scene. The patient was safely transported to a local hospital and made a full recovery.

Keenan Wayne, paramedic — American Medical Response

Keenan Wayne has been a paramedic with American Medical Response San Diego since 2016. He is also a part-time flight paramedic and is pursuing a degree in molecular biology. He has worked at many of the medic units stationed in La Mesa and around East County.

Wayne is being recognized for a cardiac arrest “save” that occurred in La Mesa in September of 2019. Working in conjunction with the crew from Heartland Fire end Rescue Engine 12, he played an instrumental role in saving the life of a 59-year old male found in cardiac arrest by his wife. By using his knowledge and experience and working collaboratively with the other first responders, Wayne was able to apply advanced life support skills and medications and successfully resuscitated the patient who was alert and talking as he arrived at a local hospital and made a full recovery.

Captain Chip Tidball — Heartland Fire & Rescue La Mesa

Cpt. Chip Tidball is a 20-year veteran of Heartland Fire & Rescue La Mesa where he serves as a member of the Wellness and Peer Support Team. He travels the United States and Canada lecturing on behavioral health topics.

As an IAFF Master Instructor, he also assists fire departments with creating peer support programs. Recently, he and another PEER Support member traveled to  El Paso, Texas to assist other PEER Support teams that were helping first responders that had responded to a mass shooting incident.

Captain Tidball has been instrumental in the success of the department’s behavioral health program. He is also a veteran of the United States Airforce and served during Desert Storm.

Master Officer Colin Atwood — La Mesa Police Department

Master Officer Atwood joined the La Mesa Police Department in 1999. During his 21-years of service, Officer Atwood has worked as a patrol officer, a field training officer, and a traffic officer. Since 2005, he has been a certified Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructor and Firearms Instructor training the men and women of the La Mesa police Department in these two critical areas. He is also a member of the La Mesa Police Department’s Peer Support Team, and assists his peers heal from trauma they experience on and off duty.

Officer Atwood has a longstanding dedication to community outreach programs benefitting children. For more than 17 years, he has been involved in the Shop-With-A-Cop program and helps with the planning, organizing and fundraising for this annual event. For the past 10 years he has organized and participated in the Tip-A-Cop program, which benefits the Southern California Special Olympics. In 2019, he also organized a fundraiser benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Officer Atwood’s dedication to public safety is evident in his long-standing efforts to detect and apprehend drunk drivers. He has been the recipient of the MADD DUI Officer Award seven times. During his 21-years of service, Officer Atwood has arrested more than 600 drivers who were under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Crime Prevention Specialist Claudia Ortega — La Mesa Police Department

CPS Ortega has been with the La Mesa Police Department since 2013 and is a valuable asset within the Community Resource Unit and the La Mesa Police Department. She comes to work with a can-do attitude and is always willing to assist her peers when requested. She was selected as the La Mesa Police Department Employee of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2019 for her excellent performance. During that time, on two separate occasions CPS Ortega has assisted other agencies in identifying and arresting two suspects.

CPS Ortega has demonstrated on two separate occasions, her ability to work with other jurisdictions. She assisted in the arrest of a burglary suspect in San Diego and a burglary suspect that she had recognized while working and notified the Oceanside Police Department, which led to that suspect’s arrest.

In 2019, CPS Ortega coordinated two sessions of Life on the Beat. She had 30 participants that were able to experience four different aspects of a day in the life of a police officer. She also coordinated a new session of the KidzWatch Program at LMPD, coordinated the Youth Leadership Camp, the Citizen’s Academy, Coffee with a Cop, the Safety Fair, National Night Out and several other events. She also volunteered to be the head of the Department’s Social Media Team maintaining the department’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. As the head of the Social Media Team, she works diligently with the entire team to create content that encourages community interaction.

CPS Ortega continued her goal of becoming a Crime Analyst by working overtime on her days off and assisting Crime Analyst Jones in identifying emerging crime trends. She filled in for the Crime Analyst while she was on maternity leave and performed that job, as well as her own with neither one suffering. She also continued her education by attending the Crime Analysis Conference and several classes related to Social Media.

Tita Boatright, Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol — La Mesa Police Department

Tita Boatright joined the La Mesa Police Department RSVP program in October of 2018. During her year and half of dedicated service, she has contributed more than 525 volunteer hours to the La Mesa Police Department. She is the agency’s first fully cross-trained retired senior volunteer who can perform patrol duties, LiveScan operations, and works with homebound La Mesa residents though the You Are Never Alone (YANA) program.

In addition to her regular duties, Boatright routinely volunteers to work special events, such as the La Mesa Flag Day Parade, Oktoberfest, Safety Fair and DUI checkpoints. She has also assisted several other law enforcement agencies on other special events throughout San Diego County. In April 2019, Boatright underwent extensive training to become a volunteer with San Diego’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). CERT teaches citizens to educate families, neighbors, businesses and communities to respond to the first hours or days, when emergency services are overwhelmed.

Pat Olow, Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol — La Mesa Police Department

Pat Olow oined the La Mesa Police Department RSVP Program in May 2012. During her nearly eight years of dedicated service, she has contributed more than 640 volunteer hours to the La Mesa Police Department. She works exclusively with the You Are Never Alone (YANA) program and has become a vital lifeline between homebound seniors and the community resources available to them.

YANA clients have come to rely on Olow’s weekly calls and strong friendships have resulted. Her attention to detail is evident when asked a question about a client. She can tell coworkers where they live, the hobbies they enjoy, and who their emergency contact is. She is so dedicated to seniors, she even keeps a calendar listing all of their birthdays. In addition to her volunteer work with the Police Department, she is also a Lead City Volunteer with the City of La Mesa. In that capacity, Olow assists with public inquires, volunteer timekeeping, and Adult Enrichment Center membership database management.