Mike Stewart is alive today because of the quick action of Seward Police Officer Zachary Pilcher.
Pilcher used an AED machine to shock Stewart’s heart after he went into cardiac distress around 9 a.m. Oct. 1 near the pickleball courts at Moffitt Park in Seward.
Mayor Josh Eickmeier and SPD Chief Brian Peters offered a commendation for Pilcher and recognized SPD Officer Bryce Johnson and Sheriff’s Sgt. Jordan Legband at the Dec. 19 Seward City Council meeting, where Stewart was present to personally thank the first responders.
“You guys should be really proud that your officers are trained so well and take that training seriously,” Stewart said to the city officials present. “Your community is a better place because of all the officers that you have working here.”
Stewart is a retired lieutenant of the Omaha Police Department and now serves part-time as a school resource officer.
Pilcher was first to arrive on scene and began CPR, then used the AED from Legband’s patrol car to deliver three shocks to Stewart’s heart before Seward Rescue arrived to transport him to the hospital.
“This individual is alive today because of your quick and decisive actions,” Peters told Pilcher, reading an official commendation for exceptional performance.
“Officer Johnson made sure he was never alone and stayed with him until the helicopter came and transported him to another hospital,” Peters said. “That shows the brotherhood of law enforcement, that we take care of our own.”
Pilcher said the action was a group effort among the three officers and Seward Rescue.
“It’s a team effort here in Seward. That’s one of the reasons I like working here,” he said.
Becka Neumiller, program manager for stroke and heart attack care systems at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, thanked SPD and the Seward County Sheriff’s Office for their willingness to take part in a 2021 grant program that outfitted law enforcement vehicles with automatic external defibrillators.
The grant of $6.4 million from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, a global philanthropy that works toward healthier communities, placed 2,500 AEDs in law enforcement vehicles across Nebraska.
“The American Heart Association research shows a significantly higher rate of survival for cardiac arrest patients defibrillated by law enforcement officers who are generally first on scene, especially in our rural areas,” Neumiller said.
“Every minute a patient is in cardiac arrest without high-quality CPR and defibrillation, their odds of survival actually go down 10%,” she added, “so an officer arriving on scene just a few minutes early, one or two minutes earlier than the rescue squad, actually can increase the odds of survival dramatically.”
As of Dec. 19, Nebraska law enforcement officers had used those AEDs 352 times, resulting in 47 saves.
“That’s a really big amount,” Neumiller said.
