Police officer is a lifesaver

When UCF police officer Gregory Larkin was dispatched to Knight's Circle, formerly Pegasus Landing, on New Year's Day, he tried to not let his mind race.

"One of the things about being a law enforcement officer, you have to be ready to do what's necessary at the drop of a hat," Larkin said.

It was Larkin's CPR training and ability to keep a cool head under pressure that earned him a Life Saving Award from the American Society for Industrial Security on Thursday, May 19, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel.

Larkin used CPR for the first time that New Year's Day when a 19-year-old man nearly drowned in one of Knight's Circle's swimming pools.

"We train for these things, and some of the training we go through is managing stress, focusing on the task at hand and not to let your mind race because all kinds of things can happen if you start to panic,"  Larkin, who has worked at UCF since 2007, said.

When Larkin arrived on the scene, the man had already been pulled out of the pool, and his friends had tried performing CPR, but hadn't done so correctly.

Carina Giacomelli, one of the man's friends, helped Larkin with the CPR.

"In addition to trying to control everybody at the scene, radio dispatch and call my partner, I had to very quickly explain to [Giacomelli] how to give a proper breath," Larkin said. "All kinds of things can happen if you do it improperly."

After the EMTs arrived on the scene and were able to stabilize the man, Larkin said the general consensus was that he probably wouldn't make it through the night.

When Larkin made a call the following day, which happened to be the man's birthday, to check up on him, he was surprised to find out that he had made it through the night.

"I'm happy for him," Larkin said.

In addition to receiving the award from ASIS, Larkin received a letter of commendation from UCF Police Chief Richard Beary.

"I didn't come into work that day thinking that I was going to do anything other than show up, do my job and go home," said Larkin, who was surprised by all of the recognition he received because of the incident.

"We're glad that Officer Larkin and many other officers in the Central Florida region were able to get the Life Saving Award and other awards," said Sgt. Troy Williamson, the public information officer. "All of our officers are out there to help the students from orientation, right on through whatever major they're looking at, through graduation. We're there to help them."

Williamson said that the UCF Police Department goes through a lot of training, including how to administer first aid and CPR.

"If it's a student, staff or faculty member, we'll be there first and try to do what we can to save a life until paramedics arrive," Williamson said. "We'll always be there for them."