Sheriff presents OCSO Life Saving Award for heroic actions

SHALIMAR, Fla. — Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Captain Todd Watkins and Corporal Kristen Genrich both have been awarded the OCSO Life Saving Award for their actions in helping save the life of a 4-year-old last year.

The awards were presented by Sheriff Eric Aden.

On November 6, 2021, Corporal Genrich was flagged down while working an off-duty detail in Fort Walton Beach. The mother of a 4-year-old child said her daughter was having difficulty breathing after swallowing a plastic marker cap.

Genrich quickly assessed the child’s condition. EMS and fire rescue were called to the scene.

She determined the child was choking and it was clear the child needed immediate emergency help.

Genrich placed the little girl in the front seat of her patrol vehicle and worked to stabilize her in preparation for life-saving measures. She made efforts to clear the obstruction, but the cap remained lodged.

Captain Watkins (along with Sergeant Richard McCoy and Deputy Amy Ates) arrived and began working to help the child (and mother).

The little girl, however, continually gasped for air and her condition was declining due to a lack of oxygen. The situation became grave, and neither EMS nor the fire department responders was nearby.

Noting the child’s condition was worsening, Watkins decided to transport the child himself to the Fort Walton Beach Medical Center’s emergency room.

He carried her into the trauma room where hospital staff worked to successfully dislodge the cap from the child’s airway. As a result, her oxygen levels returned to normal, and was expected to make a full recovery.