DPS Team Members of the Month
September Sworn Team Members of the Month
Mark D. Counts
Commercial Vehicle Officer Supervisor
Patrick W. Patterson
Commercial Vehicle Officer
Roberto Rodriguez-Penaflor
Trooper
Missouri State Highway Patrol
September Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month
Gene Reece
Senior Safety Inspector
Division of Fire Safety
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Mark Counts, Patrick Patterson and Roberto Rodriguez-Penaflor are the DPS Sworn Team Members of the Month for September for their swift actions and collaboration, which saved the life of a truck driver experiencing an extreme medical emergency.
On Feb. 14, 2024, Troop E received a call from the Charleston Department of Public Safety about a possible motor vehicle crash on Interstate 57, in which the reporting party spoke only Spanish. Within two minutes, a Patrol radio operator provided the contact information for Trooper “Robbi” Rodriguez-Penaflor, who is fluent in Spanish. Acting as an interpreter, Robbi learned the co-driver of a commercial vehicle was unconscious and having difficulty breathing. He obtained the vehicle description, company name and location – a parking lot across the interstate from the Patrol’s Charleston weigh station.
Upon learning of the emergency, Commercial Vehicle Officer Supervisor Mark Counts grabbed the station’s automated external defibrillator, and he and Commercial Vehicle Officer Patrick Patterson ran across the interstate to the scene. The patient was unconscious, his eyes were closed, his skin was pale and he was sweating profusely. Patrick could not find a pulse. The AED advised not to shock but to perform CPR. Because of the patient’s size and the vehicle height, the officers could not move him to the ground. Patrick and Mark improvised and performed CPR with the patient in the vehicle.
A Mississippi County EMS crew arrived during the officers’ fourth CPR cycle. The patient was placed on a gurney and transported to a Cape Girardeau hospital. Despite experiencing multiple ventricular fibrillation events in the ambulance, the EMS crew was able to stabilize the patient’s heart rate enroute to the hospital and he was released after being treated at the hospital. The EMS crew reported the patient would not have survived the emergency if not for the fast action and teamwork of Mark, Patrick and Robbi, who had remained on the phone and assisted with communications throughout the event.
Gene Reece, a Senior Safety Inspector in the Missouri Division of Fire Safety Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Program, is the DPS Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month for September 2024 for the excellence of his work, his superior customer service and for training four new inspectors in less than a year.
Because of staffing issues, from 2019 until June 2024, Gene stepped up and oversaw the field training of six new Boiler and Pressure Vessel inspectors. Gene shared with them his vast knowledge and willingly traveled across much of the state to provide hands-on instruction. The new team members also witnessed Gene’s and absolute commitment to safety. They gained invaluable experience over a relatively short period and are performing at a high level. A well-trained team is essential because unsafe boilers and pressure vessels can result in catastrophic failure.
Gene’s expertise and mentoring approach also help educate contractors, operators and maintenance staff, enhancing boiler and pressure vessel safety across the state. Throughout his 22 years with the Division of Fire Safety, his professionalism, institutional knowledge and dedication have made him an irreplaceable asset to the division.
Congratulations to all the Team Members of the Month! You have set an outstanding example for your co-workers throughout the Department of Public Safety.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety. Many Missions. One Team.