Credit: Whitpain Township Police Department.
At the Aug. 5 Whitpain Township Board of Supervisors meeting, Chief Lawson had the privilege of presenting Officer Katherine Essenthier with a Life Saving Award — a recognition of her quick thinking and calm response during a critical emergency.
On July 1, Officer Essenthier was dispatched to a 911 call involving a 10-month-old infant who was choking and had become unresponsive. It was the kind of call no first responder ever wants to receive. Upon arriving at the scene, she found the infant in his mother’s arms, not breathing, not crying, and clearly in distress. The child was showing signs of a completely blocked airway.
Drawing on her training and experience, Officer Essenthier immediately began administering back blows, a life-saving technique used to clear airway obstructions in infants. After several attempts, she was able to dislodge a piece of plastic from the child’s airway. Within moments, the infant began to breathe and cry, a clear sign that he was out of danger.
The child’s mother and her son were present at the meeting to personally thank Officer Essenthier. She spoke briefly but emotionally, sharing how grateful she was for the officer’s actions and how she would never forget what happened that day.
"The mother and her son came to the meeting to express her undying gratitude to Officer Essenthier," Whitpain Township Police Department wrote in a statement. "She spoke about how she will never forget our officer's actions that day. Congratulations on a job well done Officer Essenthier."
The Board of Supervisors, along with everyone in attendance, congratulated Officer Essenthier on her well-deserved recognition and thanked her for her continued dedication to the community.
