Greatest Person

Richfield Firefighters Help Save Downed Paramedic

Richfield firefighters worked quickly to assist a paramedic who went into cardiac arrest during a call last December.

Four Richfield firefighters were honored Tuesday by Hennepin County Medical Center for their efforts to save an HCMC paramedic during a heart attack. Capt. David Quebodeaux, and firefighters Steve Paszkiewicz, Chuck Russell and Joe Halaska were given commendations for their actions during Tuesday night's city council meeting. According to Fire Chief Wayne Kewitsch, Richfield firefighters and police officers were dispatched to Motel 6 on a medical call in December 2012. After the patient was loaded into the ambulance, paramedic Wayne Schneider went into cardiac arrest. "Richfield personnel along with HCMC medics worked on the downed paramedic," Kewitsch told Patch in an e-mail. "And transported him to HCMC where he was successfully …

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Minnesota 100 Club to Host Annual Benefit for First Responders

The dinner takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18.

The Minnesota 100 Club is hosting its annual dinner to raise money for families of Minnesota first responders who were killed or injured in the line of duty. The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at Jax Café (1928 University Ave. N.E., Minneapolis). Tickets for the dinner buffet cost $50 and are available at the door. Representatives from local police departments, fire departments and sheriff’s offices will be there. The Minnesota 100 Club has given out more than $387,000 information to more than 250 families around the state. Recent beneficiaries include include families of:

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UPDATE: Unattended Stovetop Causes Richfield Kitchen Fire Monday

Firefighters arrived on site in less than four minutes.

Richfield firefighters responded to a kitchen fire at 11:13 a.m. Monday on the 6700 block of Elliott Avenue. According to Richfield Fire Chief Wayne Kewitsch, fire crews arrived in less than four minutes and discovered a fire on the stovetop in the kitchen of the home. The fire was extinguished and the home was ventilated. The cause of the fire was unattended cooking, which is the leading cause of residential fires in Minnesota, according to Kewitsch. Fortunately, the fire was contained to the stove and the equipment mounted above. There was extensive smoke damage to the kitchen, Kewitsch said. There were no injuries reported. Richfield Patch will update readers if more information becomes available. Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | …

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