15 Denver Health paramedics receive awards for saving lives
November 15, 2019
DENVER — Denver Health Medical Center paramedics respond to nearly 120,000 calls each year, taking more than 80,000 patients to the hospital. Fifteen of them received awards for their heroic actions at the annual Denver Health Paramedics Award Ceremony on Thursday.
Cpt. Julie Arellano and Lt. Tim Brown have seen a lot in their combined 24 years as Denver Health paramedics, but Jan. 27 was a harrowing ordeal. They responded to an incident in which two Denver police officers were shot.
“It was pretty scary, pretty loud. We just wanted to get these guys out and take care of them. Seeing Rich (Jamarillo) get hit and knowing they were both shot, just really tears at your heart… almost unbelievable in the moment,” Arellano said.
“It’s pretty intense, there’s a lot happening. For us, you develop a certain amount of task focus. For both Julie and I, there’s enough routine in what we do,” Brown said.
Even as the gunfire continued, Arellano and Brown didn’t hesitate going in to help officers Richard Jaramillo and Steve Gameroz.