Politics & Government
Village Honors Lemont Woman for Life-saving Skills
The Burr Ridge Village Board and Police Department presented a 'Citizens Achievement Award' to Rhiannon Reisinger, who performed CPR on a man at Life Time Fitness, likely saving his life.
Honoring a lifesaver: At Monday's Village Board meeting, the Burr Ridge Police Department presented a Citizen Award of Appreciation to Lemont resident Rhiannon J. Reisinger for her life-saving actions on Dec. 1, 2010.
Mayor Gary Grasso explained that in December, Burr Ridge Police and the Pleasantview Fire Protection District answered a call from where a man had gone into full cardiac arrest on a racquetball court.
Reisinger, the aquatics assistant department head, administered CPR and assisted with an AED machine. Grasso said the victim's girlfriend later said his heart had completely stopped and that CPR and the AED likely saved his life.
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"It really shook me up," Reisinger later told Patch. Adding that the quick responses of fellow Life Time employees Jillian Bouchard, who brought the AED to the scene, and Dan Mazepa, who called for help, were also factors in helping the man.
Reisinger said she has not seen the man since the incident but had been told that he was doing well. She said she didn't know his full name.
Find out what's happening in Burr Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I haven't had a chance to see him since it happened—I hope I do,” she told the board.
Reisinger was also humble about the act saying, “the AED is really what did it,” but added that the event is proof that both CPR and AED are life-saving mechanisms in an emergency.
“You should be very proud and we are very proud of you,” Grasso said during the meeting.
Sale of land: The Village Board also unanimously approved a resolution entering into an intergovernmental agreement for the sale of a 4.3-acre unused parcel of land on Garfield Avenue to the DuPage Forest Preserve District in the amount of $92,500.
The village purchased the vacant piece of property “years ago” and according to Village Administrator Steve Stricker, it is no longer useful and is also currently inaccessible.
Because of its location on the Des Plaines River, just south of the BNSF tracks, the DuPage Forest Preserve District expressed an interest in it and made the offer of $92,500.
Next meeting: The next Village Board meeting will be held on March 14. The start time of the meeting has been moved back to 6:30 p.m., in the hopes that it will allow additional time for the board to begin tackling the budget–an issue which often takes more than one meeting.
