Lifesaving Award for Scarborough Cop
Just under an hour into his afternoon general patrol shift in south Scarborough, the 41 Division officer responded to a radio call for unknown trouble with a baby.
“I was on Pharmacy Ave., just north of Denton Ave., so I just turned around and proceeded to the call in an apartment building,” recalled the father of three children.
A baby girl was lying unconscious on the floor by the time Jones arrived at the high rise.
“I didn’t know what the problem was at the time, but the baby wasn’t breathing,” he recalled. “I thought it was a choking hazard, so I placed her stomach down on my palm and started to deliver some back blows at which point water started coming out of the child’s lungs. She started to cry and the paramedics showed up.”
It was only then that Jones found out that the baby had fallen in the bath tub, while her mother went into the bedroom for a toothbrush for an older child who was also in the tub.
For his heroic efforts, Jones was presented with an Allied Service Award at the Toronto Paramedic Services awards ceremony on April 2.
“It’s nice to get the recognition, but I was just doing my job,” said Jones, who has spent all 15 of his years with the Service at 41 Division.
Superintendent John Tanouye, 41 Division unit commander, joined Toronto Paramedic Services Chief Paul Raftis in presenting the award to Jones.
“I am so proud of Jason,” said Tanouye. “You join this Service to serve and protect and you think it’s just going to be arresting people and prosecuting criminals. At the same time, you always hope you will come across a situation where you can save a life, which is what Jason did. That’s the ultimate rewarding experience for a police officer and it was great work on his part. He’s just one of those solid stable guys who does his job well without looking for accolades in return. He consistently goes above and beyond.”
Inspector David Saunders of the Divisional Policing Support Unit attended the ceremony at which Toronto Police Service Chaplain Walter Kelly joined Faith Evangelical Missionary Church pastor Gregory Armstrong in delivering a prayer and recognizing fallen EMS personnel.
