Dalton Firefighter Honored For Life-Saving Heroics

Friday, April 26th, 2024

A firefighter is never really off duty, they're just not always on the clock. Dalton's Keith Locke certainly embodies that idea, as evidenced by his commendation this week for his lifesaving heroics in March when he administered life-saving care to a woman while he was on his own time. 

Caption: Fire Chief Matt Daniel (left) presents a certificate of commendation to Firefighter Keith Locke (right)

The incident happened March 11th. Firefighter Locke was near the baseball field at Christian Heritage School when he saw a woman lying face down in the school's parking lot. Locke ran up to the woman and assessed her condition, finding her unresponsive and not breathing. He immediately began CPR on the patient. Officers Jesus Cruz and Kaleb Warren from the Dalton Police Department arrived soon after and assisted Locke with placing an AED on the patient and provided additional care under his direction. Engine 1 from the DFD then arrived along with Hamilton EMS to take over care for the patient, obtaining and airway and applying the LUCAS device to assist with chest compressions. As a result of their care, the patient began to regain circulation at the scene and had regained consciousness within an hour of arriving at Hamilton Medical Center's ER. The patient was able to speak with Firefighter Locke at the hospital. 

At Tuesday morning's monthly meeting of the Dalton Public Safety Commission, Fire Chief Matt Daniel presented Locke with a certificate of commendation, honoring him for his heroism during the incident. 

"His exemplary performance speaks to his character, professionalism, and the dedicated service our personnel provide within the community," Chief Daniel said.