Great Bend Police Detective Scott Bieberle, 44, was recovering at Hays Medical Center, after collapsing Wednesday, city officials announced in a news release Thursday afternoon.
The statement reported Bieberle’s condition was stable and said he was continuing to be monitored for proper treatment and recovery.
Bieberle was attending the Storm Spotters meeting on Tuesday. At 4:30 p.m. he left the training and ran out to his vehicle to respond to another call and collapsed inside the car. Luckily, his vehicle was parked in front of the Barton County Health Department and a couple of Health Department employees happened to look out the window and noticed Bieberle slump over. They flagged down a Great Bend Police officer and a Barton County Sheriff’s officer to help. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was started while Great Bend EMS services were called.
“What a blessing it was for our teammate to be where he was when this happened,” stated City Administrator Howard Partington, acting police chief. “We are extremely thankful and appreciative for all who were involved in saving Det. Bieberle.”
When the Great Bend EMT services arrived, the EKG machine had to be used.
GBPD Capt. Bob Robinson said, “CPR training was critical in this situation; without those trained individuals we would have lost Det. Bieberle.” He added, “We have extremely well trained people. Special thanks to all who were involved; what a great team we all make for our community!”
According to Barton County Health Department Director Shelly Schneider, “Less than 10 percent of people make it out of a situation like that. It was a blessing that our staff were looking out the window in that moment.”
Members of all agencies involved agreed, it was nice to have such a collaborative effort in this situation. It was a critical situation where many departments came together to save a life.
It was also noted that CPR training classes can be a lifesaver and the more trained, the more people can be saved. Contact the Great Bend Recreation Commission for the next available CPR class.