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‘Somebody’s got to look out for them’: Medic credited with saving injured deputy’s life

The Washington County Sheriff said a medic with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue risked his own life to provide medical attention to the most seriously injured deputy.

PORTLAND, Ore. — One of two Washington County Sheriff’s deputies shot near Hagg Lake Thursday was released from the hospital on Friday, according to an update from the sheriff's office. The other deputy is in serious condition at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett said his prognosis is good.

Both deputies are with Washington County’s Tactical Negotiations Team (TNT). Garrett credits a Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue TNT medic for saving the life of the more seriously injured deputy. 

RELATED: Sheriff grateful for 'instrumental' help of medics in chaotic scene following shooting of deputies

We learned more about the role of tactical team medics from first responders with Portland Fire & Rescue.

“We knew there were officers down, and we were sent to a staging area just in case,” said PF&R Lt. Jeremy Romig, who is a medic with the Portland Police Bureau’s Special Emergency Response Team (SERT). 

Romig was at home, Thursday, when he got the call to back up Washington County's TNT after the deputies had been shot.

“Blood loss is your primary concern,” said Romig.

Like most tactical team medics, Romig is trained in tactical combat casualty care and responds, if necessary, to save the first responders.

“They're doing a hard job and if we can be there to help protect them from those injuries, that's why we're doing it," he said.

And that, said Garrett, is exactly what happened on Thursday. The TNT was responding to a wooded area near Hagg Lake to search for a man who reportedly stole guns from a homeowner's property. During their search for the suspect, investigators said the gunman shot the two deputies.    

Garrett said a TNT medic with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue risked his own life to provide medical attention to the most seriously injured deputy. That medic declined KGW’s request for an interview, but Romig said it's clear he did what they all train to do: protect those on the front lines.

"Somebody's got to look out for them,” said Romig. “They've got families, they've got lives, they're good people like the rest of us. That's why we're doing what we're doing for them.”

RELATED: One deputy released from hospital, other remains in serious condition after being shot near Hagg Lake

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