A year after saving a baby’s life, two Elbert County sheriff’s deputies were honored at the eighth annual Breakfast of Champions.

On March 18, deputies Tony Schiefelbein and Bonner Cordova and emergency medical dispatcher Patricia Ognie received the Professional Rescuer Award from the American Red Cross Mile High Chapter during the celebration at the Hyatt Regency at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The deputies and dispatcher were honored for their heroic duties and for demonstrating teamwork during a high-pressure situation.

On Jan. 6, 2009, Cordova and Schiefelbein responded to an emergency call that was answered by Ognie regarding a mother in labor. After the deputies arrived on scene, they delivered the baby. Immediately after the delivery the deputies realized the baby was not breathing.

Knowing the paramedics might not make it to the home in time, Cordova was quick to think of a solution. He grabbed a turkey baster from the kitchen and cleared the airway in the baby’s throat to allow the baby to breathe. After a couple minutes the baby began breathing and crying. Shortly after, the paramedics arrived and the baby and mother were transported to the emergency room.

The Breakfast of Champions also celebrated and honored other every-day heroes in Colorado, people who reached out to others and demonstrated courage and compassion in their actions.