[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 109 (Wednesday, July 20, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4717-S4718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MALLORY REIS

 Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, today I wish to commend the 
heroic actions of Ms. Mallory Reis, of Johnston, Rhode Island. Last 
week, the Providence Journal reported that while vacationing in 
Massachusetts, Ms. Reis helped resuscitate a 3-year-old boy who had 
stopped breathing after choking and falling in the water.
  Ms. Reis, an officer with the Cranston Police Department, reacted 
immediately upon hearing screams for help coming from the water's edge 
of Curlew Pond. She raced over to the crowd that had formed around the 
boy. His body was blue and limp, and he had no pulse. The boy needed 
cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, and Ms. Reis was the first to 
arrive with the necessary training. Immediately, she began performing 
CPR and directed bystanders to call 911.

[[Page S4718]]

  After Ms. Reis performed a series of chest compressions and mouth-to-
mouth resuscitation, an-off duty New Bedford firefighter arrived on the 
scene. Together, they worked to clear the boy's airway and get him 
breathing again. Thanks to Ms. Reis' efforts, the boy is alive today 
and it is reported that he is recovering well.
  The efforts of Ms. Reis underscore the vital role our first 
responders play in keeping our communities safe. Law enforcement 
officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel are often the 
first line of protection, taking risks to keep us and our families 
safe.
  Today I would like to thank Ms. Reis for her swift and heroic 
response that saved this young boy's life, and commend the Cranston 
Police Department for providing officers of that caliber. I would also 
like to commend all our first responders who dutifully perform these 
acts of heroism every day, and express my deep appreciation for their 
unwavering commitment to our safety.

                          ____________________