American Red Cross Honors Two CL&P Heroes

When life was on the line...

At its 2010 Heroes of Connecticut celebration, the Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross honored two quick-thinking and well-trained CL&P employees: Transmission Line Mechanics Kevin Temple and Steve Palmer. In September 2009, they assisted a motor vehicle accident victim on Interstate 91 in Cromwell.

In rainy conditions, a tractor trailer jackknifed and hit an SUV. The impact ejected the SUV driver and threw her 30 feet, where she landed face down in mud. The two men pulled over immediately to help.

Finding the woman unconscious, they stabilized her neck, rolled her out of the mud and cleared her mouth until her breathing normalized. Once they established she had a pulse, they called 911 for medical assistance.

A passing off-duty EMT also stopped to lend assistance. Together, they kept the woman calm and out of the rain until medical professionals arrived.

All CL&P field workers receive training in general first aid and CPR, and are recertified yearly. Recognizing that company personnel are constantly on the move and often in relatively remote areas, it is this commitment to medical preparedness that helps make all CL&P workers heroes-in-waiting.