Deputies Honored for Saving 13-Year-Old Girl

LADERA RANCH, CA - A 13-year-old girl is alive today thanks to the heroic lifesaving efforts of two Orange County Sheriff’s deputies.

Deputies Ryan Durham and Kevin Kelly were among 28 men and women honored by the sheriff’s department with Medals of Valor. The pair received the Lifesaving Medal for tirelessly rendering CPR to save the life of a 13-year-old girl found lifeless at the bottom of a Ladera Ranch pool. Here is their story of determination and calm under pressure courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies Ryan Durham and Kevin Kelly Save 13-Year-Old Drowning Victim

On a cold afternoon, on November 18, 2015, the residents of a home in the community of Ladera Ranch were hosting a party for family members. One of the visiting children, a 13-year-old girl suffering from cerebral palsy and a history of seizures, somehow ended up getting into the backyard of the residence and was discovered by family members at the bottom of the backyard pool. After receiving a frantic call from the family, Orange County Fire Authority Dispatchers sent an engine company to the scene and contacted Sheriff’s Dispatch. Dispatch quickly assigned the call to Southeast Unincorporated Patrol Deputies Ryan Durham and Kevin Kelly.

Ryan and Kevin responded immediately and were the first emergency responders to arrive on scene. By the time they arrived, the family had moved the girl from the cold, wet pavement beside the pool to the dry, warm kitchen floor. After conducting a quick assessment and discovering the girl had no pulse and was not breathing, Ryan and Kevin began Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Several minutes later Orange County Fire Authority personnel arrived, set up their equipment and assumed emergency first aid. The girl’s pulse and breathing were restored and she was transported to the hospital for advanced medical treatment.

Arriving at a family home filled with scared, emotionally distraught family members, Deputy Ryan Durham and Deputy Kevin Kelly acted with professional calm and skill. Their immediate and effective actions ensured the survival of the young drowning victim.

Photo Courtesy of the orange County Sheriff's Department