DENVER – What was originally intended as a story about the daily work of a park ranger for the City and County of Denver became much more.
While interviewing Park Ranger Manager Jodie Marozas, we came across a man who appeared to be sleeping on the sidewalk of La Alma-Lincoln Park.
Ethan Carlson from Denver7
Marozas went to check on the man to make sure he was OK. She was only able to wake him up sporadically and was worried. She called an ambulance. At that point, however, it was not an emergency.
“I’m just having a hard time keeping him awake,” Marozas said. “I don’t want to go and have him overdose while I’m gone. I’m going to call the doctor and see if they can take over. Maybe then he’ll be more ready to wake up, but for now he’s fine.”
Marozas kept a close eye on him to make sure he was OK. But before the ambulance could arrive, his condition worsened. Marozas called to do something she had only done twice before in her ten-year career.
“At one point his heart rate was normal and he was breathing, but then there was a period where I noticed he stopped breathing,” Marozas said. “That’s when I made the decision to treat him with NARCAN.”
She administered NARCAN and waited a long ten seconds until the man woke up and lifted his head from the floor.
Ethan Carlson from Denver7
“I’m a little shaken up right now,” Marozas said. “Of course I’m grateful that I happened to come to that park. It was one of the parks I was going to patrol today, so I’m glad I was there and was able to offer that immediate help. The worst part is that I had people who didn’t wake up.”
Citizens for a Safe and Clean Denver told Denver7 that La Alma-Lincoln Park continues to be a problem site for open-air drug markets, crime and drug overdoses. Denver park rangers have designated it a priority site. Marozas knows this interaction will stay with her.
“This is something we carry with us, and so of course I’ll never forget this moment,” Marozas said. “The Denver Rangers are kind of the unsung heroes of Denver, because a lot of what we do goes unnoticed. But we carry a lot with us.”
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