DENVER — What was originally intended to be a story about the day-to-day operations of a City and County of Denver park ranger turned into much more.
While interviewing Park Ranger Manager Jodie Marozas, we came across a man who appeared to be sleeping on the sidewalk at La Alma-Lincoln Park.
Marozas went to check on the man to make sure that he was okay. She was only able to sporadically rouse him from his sleep and became concerned, so she called for emergency medical services. At this point, though, it wasn’t an emergency.
“I’m just having a hard time keeping him awake,” said Marozas. “I don’t want to leave and have him overdose while I’m gone. I’m going to call medical and see if they can take over. Maybe he’ll be more inclined to wake up for them, but at this point, he’s okay.”
Wanting to make sure he was okay, Marozas kept a careful eye on him. But before the ambulance could arrive, his condition worsened. Marozas made the call to do something she had only done twice before in her 10-year career.
“At one point, his heart rate was fine and he was breathing, but there was a period where I noticed that he stopped breathing,” said Marozas. “That’s when I made the decision to NARCAN him.”
She administered the NARCAN and waited a long 10 seconds before the man awoke and lifted his head off the ground.
“I’m a little shaken up right now,” said Marozas. “I'm obviously grateful that I just happened to come to this park. It was one of the parks I wanted to patrol today, and so I'm happy that I was there and able to offer him that immediate aid. The hard part is, I've had people that haven't woken up.”
Citizens for a Safe and Clean Denver told Denver7 La Alma-Lincoln Park continues to be a problem spot for open-air drug markets, crime, and drug overdoses. Denver’s park rangers have made it a priority spot. Marozas knows that this interaction is going to stick with her.
“This is something that we carry with us, and so obviously, I'll never forget this moment," said Marozas. “Denver rangers, we're kind of the unsung heroes of Denver because a lot of what we do goes unnoticed. But we carry we carry a lot with us.”
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