For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON— Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson today presented three Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees with the Chief Medical Officer Life Saving Award, which recognizes Department personnel who have taken action in order to save a life. Secretary Johnson was joined at the ceremony by Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kathryn Brinsfield to honor U.S. Secret Service Officers Daniel Martz and Fernandez Blackshear and U.S. Coast Guard Health Services Technician First Class (HS1) Jonathan Edwards.
In March, these three DHS medics responded to a request for medical assistance in the East Room of the White House, where an individual was unconscious and unresponsive. Upon determining that the patient did not have a pulse, Officer Blackshear started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and requested the Automated External Defibrillator (AED), while Officer Martz requested the White House Medical Unit and ambulance.
Arriving with the White House Medical Unit and working as a member of the response team, HS1 Edwards established and maintained the patient’s airway. During this time, a second shock was delivered by the AED and a faint pulse was detected. The patient was transported to the hospital where he later made a full recovery.
“In homeland security, very often no news is good news. It may also mean that someone did something truly extraordinary that we don't always recognize,” said Secretary Johnson during his remarks at the ceremony. “Each and every day in the Department of Homeland Security, one of our colleagues is doing something extraordinary. Today we take the time to acknowledge three of them for their dedication, outstanding heroism, and quick thinking.”
Working with first responders is an important part of DHS’s mission, and the Department’s first responders deliver care to individuals in danger, often at great risk to themselves. To date, the Department has awarded 41 individuals with the Chief Medical Officer Life Saving Award; recipients include Federal Law Enforcement Training Center instructors, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, members of the U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Secret Service officers.
Further information regarding today’s DHS Chief Medical Officer Award recipients:
Health Services Technician First Class Jonathan Edwards, U.S. Coast Guard
Duty Station: White House Medical Unit
Hometown: Burlington, North Carolina
Enlisting in the Coast Guard in 2001, Edwards served as the sole Emergency Medical Technician at his first station in Hobucken, North Carolina. Edwards is the first U.S. Coast Guard Health Services Technician to be stationed at the White House Medical Unit. Edwards is also an active Tactical Medic and is currently working towards his graduate degree and his paramedic certification.
U.S. Secret Service Officer Daniel Martz
Duty Station: Washington, D.C.
Hometown: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Martz graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Criminal Justice. He joined the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division in September 2008. For the past five years, he has been assigned to the Special Operations Section, working presidential events and tours.
U.S. Secret Service Officer Fernandez Blackshear
Duty Station: Washington, D.C.
Hometown: Raeford, North Carolina
With 25 years of medical experience, Blackshear served in the U.S. Army as a combat medic and Army Nurse Corp captain with a specialty in critical care. He joined the U.S. Secret Service in 2010 and graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center with several awards, including the Highest Academic Average Award.
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