June 24, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 116 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE ``ANGELS'' OF COLES-MOULTRIE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

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                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 2020

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize four employees of the 
Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative (CMEC) for their efforts in saving 
a life.
  On April 3, 2020, Mitch Stanciu, Bob Schafer, Jim Geldert, and Brock 
Cook were out on a service call when the customer, a veteran from the 
Vietnam War, collapsed to the ground. The team rushed over, and Schafer 
and Stanciu, who both knew first aid, rendered assistance. Immediately 
an emergency call was transmitted as part of the co-op's rescue 
procedure, though with a unique wrinkle. Usually these calls would be 
made because a worker had made contact with an electric line. This time 
was different as it was a member of the co-op who needed emergency 
assistance.
  The co-op's IT chief, David Welsh, heard the call and determined the 
location of the emergency by using his vehicle's GPS system to find 
Stanciu's truck. Welsh immediately provided the coordinates to EMS 
personnel and an ambulance arrived within fifteen minutes of the 
incident first occurring. The victim was transported to the nearest 
hospital and then airlifted to a second hospital, where surgeons 
removed a blood clot from the man's brain.
  Madam Speaker, I think the victim's daughter summarized it best when 
she called the CMEC workers ``angels . . . who didn't pause in the face 
of a crisis,'' and it is an honor to stand today to recognize their 
efforts.

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