Valor Awards
Lifesaving Award and
Civilian Gold Medal
Sergeant Michael Graham
Civilian Thomas Mulhearn
Northern Valley Local 233
Making a splash
For many officers like Sergeant Michael Graham, the duty to
act is a natural instinct. On May 18, the Northern Valley Local 233
member was reminded of this instinct while attending a barbe-
cue in Emerson, when the friendly gathering turned into a scene
of lifesaving action.
Graham was conversing with other partygoers when suddenly,
from the pool area, he heard a splash into the water.
From where he stood, Civilian Thomas Mulhearn was the first
to spot a child sitting motionless at the bottom of the pool. Mul-
hearn dived into the water without hesitation to bring the child
to the surface.
“I heard a commotion by the pool and then I saw Thomas jump
in,” Graham remembered. “If it wasn’t for him acting so quickly,
who knows what could have happened.”
Even though he wore flip-flops and shorts instead of his Lo-
cal 233 uniform, Graham quickly switched into response mode
to assist Mulhearn with the rescue. When Graham took the child
from Mulhearn’s hands, he noticed the victim was not breathing
and immediately began administering CPR.
After providing lifesaving chest compressions and breaths, the
child began regurgitating the water. By the time EMS arrived at
the scene, the child was alert and conscious. The outcome of the
Lifesaving Award
Sergeant Colleen Pascale
Patrolman Brian Gordon
North Morris Local 198
incident could have been far different for this child if it weren’t
for the swift response of Mulhearn and Graham. Their lifesaving
action were awarded at the 121st annual Valor Awards.
“It’s an honor to be here amongst great heroes,” Graham noted
while stressing that, in responding to the emergency, he was sim-
ply doing the job he was trained to do. d
25 years later and the flame
is still burning
In the past 25 years, Sergeant Colleen Pascale and Patrolman
Brian Gordon of North Morris Local 198 have seen fire; they have
seen rain; they have seen sunny days that they thought would
never end. But, on March 4, they were forced to rescue civilians
from an almost uncontrollable garage fire.
Gordon was dispatched to the report of a garage fire. When he
arrived, he found that the garage was engulfed in heavy smoke
and flames. He checked the garage for occupants and found an
unconscious adult male just inside the door. Due to the extremity
of the fire, he was unable to save the male without putting himself
in danger. Once Pascale arrived on the scene, the officers entered
the garage together and pulled the victim to safety. Afterward,
they successfully rendered aid to the man and transported him
to a medical care facility. Since the incident, the man has made
a full recovery.
Pascale developed the skills to save the victim from the fire
when she became the first female firefighter in Butler, prior to
becoming the first female law enforcement officer in Butler. That
was before being promoted to detective nine years into her ca-
reer.
For Pascale, who has retired since the incident, this night was
a homecoming. “For me, being retired, it was nice to come back
and be congratulated by everyone,” she revealed.
For Gordon, who has been on the force for 24 years, this mo-
ment proved to be surreal because the numbers don’t lie. “There
were hundreds of applications, and we were chosen,” he ex-
claimed.
Both Pascale and Gordon described an overall feeling of grat-
itude toward their fellow brothers and sisters in blue when they
accepted their award.
They didn’t start the fire, but they definitely handled it like pro-
fessionals. Pascale and Gordon received the applause they de-
served and, for Pascale, it was the perfect way to cap her long and
accomplished career. d
www.njcopsmagazine.com
■ DECEMBER 2017 67