Two city of Aurora Public Works employees were honored Tuesday night for saving a 1-year-old boy’s life after he stopped breathing.
The boy was running back and forth during Tuesday’s Aurora City Council meeting, something he wouldn’t have been able to do if it wasn’t for the fast-thinking earlier this month of Daniel Chavez and Josh Elrod, both employees of the city’s Water and Sewer Division.
Chavez and Elrod were honored during Tuesday’s meeting and given not only MVP awards, but street signs boasting their names.
The two city employees were handling routine duties on Sept. 19 when they heard a scream from a desperate mother in a nearby house, officials said. Paulina Rodriguez had discovered her son Julian wasn’t breathing and was on the couch unresponsive.
Paulina grabbed Julian and rushed outside to seek help while Chavez and Elrod ran down the block in the direction the scream came from, officials said.
Faced with a language barrier, Elrod turned to Chavez to translate and communicate in Spanish with the mother, and also called 911. Chavez placed the boy on the ground and began performing CPR.
By the time the paramedics arrived a few minutes later, Julian was breathing again and crying.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin honored the two city employees and said they gave Julian “the opportunity to live the rest of his young life.”
Aurora Deputy Fire Chief Dan Osman said this was an example of how someone with the right attitude and the willingness to act can become a first responder. Osman said they are working to get all city employees CPR training.
Aurora Chief Communications and Equity Officer Clayton Muhammad joked that Julian is still full of energy as he ran back and forth during the meeting Tuesday night.
The city also gave Julian a bag full of toys to take home.
