Back As a Red Cross volunteer, Warrenton Police Sgt. Carol Dieckman has been saving lives one classroom at a time. Officials with the Red Cross estimate that in the past 20 years, Dieckman has taught more than 600 classes – for about 5,000 people – in first aid and CPR. In addition, she has pushed for the purchase of Automatic External Defibrillators, or AEDs, in Warrenton’s schools, city buildings and police cruisers. Last month the St. Louis chapter of the Red Cross presented Dieckman its Partnership Award in recognition of their cooperative working relationship. Warrenton Police Chief Pat Harney said Dieckman’s award was more then well-deserved. “Carol has given of herself for years and has become part of the fabric of the community,” he said. Dieckman, 50, has worked for the police department for 15 years, the first three of those as a dispatcher. She was the department’s first school resource officer and has worked in Warrenton’s schools since 2002. Deickman has taught many others in addition to officers in Warrenton, including the administration and teachers at the Warrenton School District, Warrenton city employees, Boy and Girl Scout troops and private schools and day cares. “She has a hard time saying no,” said Cheryl Bettlach, who works at the St. Charles chapter of the Red Cross. Dieckman says she has pushed hard for the AEDs because in small rural communities like Warrenton, police officers usually are the first ones to arrive at an accident scene. “Sometimes accidents are the result of a medical condition, and if you know what to look for and you know what to do you have a better chance of saving a life,” she said. In fact, officers have saved several people with the AEDs, and others Dieckman has trained have used the Heimlich maneuver successfully in area schools. As for the other training, Dieckman tells her students that without CPR, the patient has no chance, with CPR they have a chance. “I tell them no matter what the outcome was, good or bad, you did what you were trained to do and you at least tried,” she said. In addition to her volunteer duties with the Red Cross, Dieckman serves as chairperson of Turning Point, a shelter for abused women and children. ### This story may be available for an Adobe Acrobat PDF download. Click on the link below to visit the site download center. If a PDF is available, the file will automatically open in your browser.

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