Crime & Safety

Cobb Public Safety Employee of the Year Honored

Monday's Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast kicked off Cobb Public Safety Appreciation Week.

Kim Burnette has been named the Cobb County Public Safety Employee of the Year.

She was among the honorees at Monday's Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast that kicked off Cobb Public Safety Appreciation Week. 

Burnette, an emergency medical technician, was recognized for her off-duty work in June 2012 administering CPR to a tractor-trailer driver who had been injured in a hit-and-run accident.  

After notifying a bystander to call 911, she administered several minutes of CPR until the driver began breathing on his own. Burnette kept the patient in a stable condition for 10 minutes before a local EMS arrived.

The honorees are as follows, per a release from Cobb County government:

The Medal of Valor is the highest award recognizing an individual for an act of bravery in a life-threatening situation. The award is only presented when a deserving candidate is found. This year it was presented to two nominees: Officers Grant Goforth and Rachel Sneed of the Cobb County Police Department, who rescued a man from the Chattahoochee River in 2012.

The Award of Merit recognizes an individual for an act of courage, demonstrating genuine care and concern for the citizens of the community and going above and beyond the call of duty, often resulting in a life being saved. Multiple Awards of Merit were presented during the ceremony, honoring Det. Ray Drew of the Cobb County Police Department, Paramedic Eric Baker and EMT Adam Hodges with Puckett EMS Unit 340 and the members of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit.

The Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes an individual whose service and performance has exceeded the demands of his or her job. The 2013 award recipients were Paramedic Phil Douglas of MetroAtlanta Ambulance and Lt. Pat Stewart of the Marietta Fire Department. To read the biographies of each nominee and the actions that led to their nominations, visit cobbchamber.org/publicsafety.

On Wednesday, Precinct 4 police officers will be recognized at a private dinner in East Cobb organized by a number of East Cobb business and civic organizations. 

The organizations are continuing to raise money to honor Cobb firefighters in a similar awards banquet in February. For more information and to donate, visit the East Cobb Business Association website.


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