Tulsa Mayor To Receive Red Cross Certificate Of Merit

After giving CPR to a restaurant customer last month, Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett will receive Red Cross's highest award.

According to a news release, The Red Cross is presenting Bartlett with the Certificate of Merit. The award is given to any individual who saves or sustains a life by using skills and knowledge learned in an American Red Cross Health and Safety Services course.

Bartlett first learned CPR while in the Air National Guard in the 1970s, but took another CPR class at the Tulsa Chapter of the American Red Cross while he was a board member.

1/30/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Mayor Performs CPR On Restaurant Customer

"I think it is very important that all Tulsans realize the importance of this life-saving skill and take advantage of the great training available at the Red Cross," Bartlett said in a news release.

Bartlett was in a downtown Tulsa restaurant when he heard someone yell, "Call 911." Before EMSA paramedics and firefighters arrived, Bartlett jumped into action and applied CPR.

"They came in, and I was told keep going until they relieve me. And that's exactly what I did," Bartlett said.

The presentation is scheduled for February 21 at City Hall.