On Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014 at 3:44 a.m., Columbus Police Officer Chris Ruff was dispatched to a residence in Columbus for a 911 hang up call, a relatively common and mundane call.  The communications center was unable to reach anyone at the residence on call back.  Officer Ruff arrived at the residence in less than two and a half minutes from the dispatch and found a panicked female struggling to get her husband, who was having an acute medical emergency, into their vehicle.

Officer Ruff immediately recognized the severity of the situation and placed the victim in his patrol car and rushed him to the hospital.  Officer Ruff had the victim inside the emergency room in just over six and a half minutes from the time he was initially dispatched to the call.

Medical staff at St. Luke’s Hospital informed the Columbus Police Department that if the man had arrived at the hospital five minutes later, he would have died.

“Officer Ruff should be honored for going above and beyond the call of duty in saving this man’s life.  Instead of calling for an ambulance and waiting on their arrival per normal protocol, Officer Ruff recognized the immediate need for medical attention and knew that he could transport the man to the local hospital before medical responders could reach him at the residence. As a result, Officer Ruff saved the man’s life,” said Chief of Police Chris Beddingfield.

This is the second life saved in two years, according to Beddingfield.

Submitted by Chris Beddingfield, Chief of Police