Vivienne Hansen, a Pacific Area senior legal administrative assistant, recently responded to two emergencies she encountered within a week’s time in San Diego.
In the first situation, Hansen was attending a party at a residence when a 3-year-old managed to access a gated swimming pool area. She was the first one to notice the girl in the water, struggling for air and going under.
The Postal Service employee ran to the pool and jumped in, fully clothed, to save the child.
Afterward, she alerted the girl’s mother to the risk of dry drowning and persuaded her to take the child to an urgent care center.
Several days later, Hansen was also the first person to spot another crisis: a paralyzed woman whose wheelchair had tipped over on trolley tracks, leaving her trapped face down and bleeding profusely.
She rushed to the woman’s aid and stayed with her until emergency responders arrived.