Police and civilians honoured at Sutherland Shire Police Area Command ceremony

A number of civilians joined police in receiving police medals and awards at ceremony at Sutherland Entertainment Centre on Monday.

Hayden Garn and William Sadler received the Police Area Commander's Certificate of Commendation for their efforts in performing CPR on a heart attack victim at Jannali on August 7, 2018.

Mr Sadler, 80, of Miranda, was walking along the street with his wife Beverley when she noticed a man lying on the ground in a laneway, partly obscured by a truck.

The man had been delivering medical waste bins to a medical practice when he suffered a major heart attack and collapsed.

Mrs Sadler called triple-0 while Mr Sadler checked for a pulse before starting CPR.

Hayden Garn, 42, of Jannali, had just left a medical appointment and was in his car when a woman banged on his window and asked if he knew CPR.

The holder of a senior first-aid certificate, he ran to Mr Sadler and the pair took turns performing CPR until ambulance officers arrived and were able to restart the man's heart.

He was taken to Sutherland Hospital but sadly never regained consciousness and died 10 days later.

Both men were thanked by the victim's family, with the Sadlers visiting them in hospital and even attending the victim's funeral, while Mr Garn, 42, spoke to family members on the phone.

Both men are proud they were able to help the victim and give his family members the opportunity to say goodbye.

"They were able to use his organs and they were given the opportunity to say goodbye to him at the hospital," said Mr Sadler.

Senior Constable Daniel Fordyce and Constable Caitlin McNaughton both received the Police Area Commander's Certificate of Commendation for bravery and courage displayed at a house fire in Gymea on October 7, 2017, which claimed the life of a man.

The pair arrived at the house where they found the man with burns to most of his body after he had escaped a fire in a granny flat at the rear of the property.

"I did not think he was going to make it," Senior Constable Fordyce said, who worked with his partner to provide first-aid.

"He was screaming in pain," Constable McNaughton said.

"We were pouring water over him. We kept filling the bowls in the kitchen sink and pouring it over him until the ambos arrived."

They comforted the man and family members for two hours until he was finally taken to hospital.

Senior Constable Fordyce was also able to get important information from the man, who later died in Royal North Shore Hospital.

Both said nothing could prepare you for the scene that confronted them that day and they had relied on each other to get through the difficult days that followed.

"We have lent on each other a lot," said Constable McNaughton, who is now on maternity leave after giving birth to daughter Lily, 11 weeks, while Senior Constable Fordyce also has a new addition, eight-month-old daughter Alaska.

Sergeant Catherine Flood received the Region Commander's Commendation in recognition of her outstanding service and devotion to duty during a complex and protracted investigation of historical child sexual assault, which resulted in lengthy prison sentences for four people.

Sergeant Michael Todd received the Police Area Commander's Certificate of Commendation for his arrest of a woman in September 2018 after she crashed her vehicle into parked cars in Eaton Street, Sutherland. He was able to restrain the woman after she cut his hand with secateurs.

NATIONAL POLICE SERVICE MEDAL

NATIONAL MEDAL

2ND CLASP TO NATIONAL MEDAL

NSW POLICE MEDAL (10 years' service)

4TH CLASP TO NSW POLICE MEDAL

2ND CLASP TO NSW POLICE MEDAL

1ST CLASP TO NSW POLICE MEDAL

30 YEAR ROUNDEL TO NSW POLICE MEDALLION

REGION COMMANDER'S COMMENDATION

REGION COMMANDER'S UNIT CITATION

POLICE AREA COMMANDER'S CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION

POLICE AREA COMMANDER'S CERTIFICATE OF MERIT

POLICE AREA COMMANDER'S CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION