[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 10 (Thursday, January 18, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E51-E52]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING NICK DEGUILIO
______
HON. MIKE THOMPSON
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Nick
Deguilio, a Deputy with the Napa County Sheriff's Department. I have
named Mr. Deguilio as a Public Safety Hero of the Year for Napa County
in California's 4th District as a result of his extraordinary
selflessness, dedication and service to others.
Mr. Deguilio was born and grew up in Napa, California, where he spent
most of his younger years playing football. After graduating from
Justin Sienna High School. Mr. Deguilio attended college at University
of California, Santa Cruz, obtaining a bachelor's degree in history in
2004.
In 2008, Mr. Deguilio and his brother Dominic attended the Police
Academy before embarking on his career as a Deputy Sheriff at the Santa
Cruz Sheriff's Office where he spent the next four years. Mr. Deguilio
then made the move to the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office where he spent
nine years before being hired by the Napa County Sheriffs Office in
2021.
In the early afternoon on July, 16, 2023, Mr. Deguilio responded to a
medical call from an adult male that had sustained a hand cut from a
boat propeller. Not knowing the severity of the injury, and without a
dispatch broadcast, he recognized the potentially urgent situation,
notified his colleagues and raced to the scene. Within seven minutes.
Mr. Deguilio arrived and took control of the incident. While evaluating
the patient's injury, consisting of a partial hand amputation, he
requested an air ambulance and applied a tourniquet to stop excessive
bleeding. Mr. Deguilio remained attentive to the patient, who was in
apparent shock and somewhat unresponsive, before being relieved by Cal
Fire and other responding deputies. The patient was then transported by
helicopter to a hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries. The
quick thinking and actions by Mr. Deguilio helped stabilize the victim
and prevented a possibly far worseoutcome.
Exactly two months later Mr. Deguilio responded to a stabbing at a
remote residence in Napa County. Initial details from a call to 911
were that the caller's husband had been stabbed by an unknown person in
their backyard and that the husband was attempting to hold the suspect
down. Mr. Deguilio was first to arrive on scene and decided to attempt
to locate the victim and suspect without waiting for backup. He found
the injured resident, who had taken the weapon and was holding the
suspect down. Mr. Deguilio took control of the knife and immediately
handcuffed the suspect when the resident fell to his hands and knees.
He promptly cut open the resident's bloodied shirt, finding a 3-inch
open stab wound on his upper back. Not knowing the severity of the stab
wound, Mr. Deguilio immediately applied a ``chest seal'' to the
resident's back, applying continual pressure while awaiting further
medical assistance. As deputies arrived at the scene, he learned the
suspect had also been stabbed during the altercation. Once medical
personnel arrived and began aiding the resident, Mr. Deguilio moved to
provide first aid to the suspect, applying another ``chest seal'' to
the suspect's stab wound. Mr. Deguilio's quick decision-making
certainly saved lives.
Mr. Deguilio's actions during both incidents show selfless dedication
and service at the highest of levels to our community and the Law
Enforcement profession.
Outside of work Mr. Deguilio is heavily involved in his child's
Little League team as the coach. He recently competed with his brother
in the Top Cop Challenge pistol match in Amador County. The brother duo
placed second in the team competition and placed second and third in
the individual competition. They then donated their five-thousand-
dollar winnings to the First Responder Support Network/West Coast Post-
Trauma Retreat. Mr. Deguilio is proudly married to Kati Deguilio,
[[Page E52]]
and they share three children: 12-year-old Vincent, 10-year-old Joseph
and 6-year-old Gus.
Mr. Speaker, we thank Mr. Deguilio for his persistence, service and
commitment to our community. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that
we honor him here today.
____________________