Oak Creek Man Honored by Red Cross for Saving Life at O'Hare Airport

OAK CREEK, WI — The American Red Cross, along with community partners, hosted the Chapter signature event: Brave Hearts, Heroes Among Us on Thursday, May 18th.

The awards recognized community members who have prevented life-threatening situations, come to the aid of another or contributed to the safety of people through a single act or ongoing activity.

Josh Hareng of Oak Creek was honored with the Emergency Response award.

According to the Red Cross, Josh spends his days making sure his community is safe as a member of the Cudahy Fire Department.

While off-duty and on his way to vacation with his family, Josh stepped in to save a life at O'Hare airport. While walking through security, Josh noticed a man who had collapsed and was not breathing. No one in the area knew how to respond, so Josh stepped in and began CPR and applied an AED. He stayed with the man until Chicago Fire arrived to take over. The man was alert and alive thanks to Josh.

Brave Heart award recipients are nominated by their peers, law enforcement, civic leaders to the general public and analyzed by a judging panel. Awards are presented in six categories: emergency response, community safety, security and resiliency, military hero, animal companion, youth and hero of the year.

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patch.com photo by scott anderson