Members of the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District on Monday awarded staff members Dulce Castellanos, Cristy Garcia, Natali Tellez, Cathy Calan and school nurse Seth Jensen for their actions in saving the life of a child at WJ Murphy Elementary School in Round Lake Park. | Provided Photo

Five “heroic” staff members sprang into action and helped save the life of a child who started choking on food during lunch at an elementary school in Round Lake Park.

The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District presented a lifesaver award and challenge coin on Monday to five “heroic staff members” of WJ Murphy Elementary School in Round Lake Park.

Staff members Dulce Castellanos, Cristy Garcia, Natali Tellez, Cathy Calan and school nurse Seth Jensen were honored for their quick thinking and decisive actions that saved a student’s life.

The five were recognized for their actions in saving the life of a student on December 5.

A student was eating their lunch in the cafeteria when they began choking, resulting in a complete obstruction of their airway, fire officials said.

Castellanos, Garcia, Tellez and Calan immediately intervened while alerting Jensen — the school nurse.

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Jensen’s response and administration of abdominal thrusts successfully dislodged the obstruction and restored the student’s breathing, fire officials said.

The student was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for observation before being discharged the same day.

The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District formally recognized the “extraordinary efforts” of the staff members during a ceremony at the school on Monday.

Each recipient was presented with the “Life Saver” award and challenge coin — an honor typically reserved for public safety officials.

The “Life Saver” award was developed to recognize individuals who were directly involved in saving a life.

“The courage and composure demonstrated by these staff members were truly remarkable,” Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Eric Hair said.

“Their quick thinking and action in the face of unimaginable stress were instrumental in saving a child’s life that day. We are honored to recognize their actions with our ‘Life Saver’ award,” Hair said.

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The fire district said they offer three different CPR classes, which include instruction on choking, that are offered to the public.