SAGA is proud to announce the Community Recognition Award for Life Saving Actions of Police Officers using an AED in honor of the Memory of Dewey Parr III, whose life was saved on May 26th 2013.
As most of you know, Dewey was a SAGA Construction Superintendent who was stricken by chest pains on May 28th, following a final run thru of two new homes in KDH at about 7:00 AM. As stars align, Capt. Mark Evans was driving nearby and responded, incidentally, with the only Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) on patrol that day. Subsequently, we found out this was one of only two available for 15 cars and the most likely First Responder in OBX is a Patrol Officer. Capt. Evans was that Officer and he revived Dewey Parr. Once the dust settled it occurred to SAGA that the odds of being saved were more by chance than a realistic possibility. So when SAGA met with Chief Gary Britt, Deputy Chief, Dana Harris and Capt. Evans, the result was an alliance for SAGA to create a challenge for the business community to raise enough funds to purchase 15 AED’s, in order to have one in every KDH patrol car.
As a result of this challenge and fundraising, on April 27, 2014, for the second time in less than a year, Kill Devil Hills Police officers used a department-issued automated external defibrillator to save the life of a victim of cardiac arrest.
The SAGA Community Recognition Award will be dedicated in the Memory of the first survivor (7 Mos.), Dewey Parr III who loaned his name and face to be featured in articles and videos, which resulted in raising $22,000, which equates to a total of 44 units distributed to Manteo, Nags Head, KDH, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores and the DARE County. The town of Duck, had already outfitted all their cars by the time the program was launched. The presentation was made on June 9th, 2014 at KDH Town Hall at 5:30 PM.
SAGA would like to thank everyone in this community for their continued support to save and preserve a life!