T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK St. Clairsville police officer Justin Work is commended Monday for rendering aid that saved an apparently overdosing woman’s life.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The city commended one of its police officers Monday for quick action in saving a woman’s life.

During Monday’s St. Clairsville City Council meeting, Police Chief Matt Arbenz described the situation in which Officer Justin Work found himself.

“On Jan. 29 this year at 4 a.m., Officer Work was called to respond to a possible overdose,” Arbenz said, adding that Work found a woman who was unresponsive and not breathing on a couch. However, he had an anti-opioid agent handy. “Officer Work administered Narcan and attempted to wake the victim with no positive effect.”

Arbenz said Work was not deterred and continued to administer aid to the woman in distress.

“He detected a pulse that was faint and failing and administered chest compressions and stimulation techniques. As the EMS were arriving, the young woman began to make breath sounds and move her arms again,” Arbenz said.

He added that the emergency medical personnel reviewed the footage from Work’s body camera.

“They confirmed that Officer Work’s efforts brought the woman back to life,” Arbenz said.

City council members applauded. Council President Jim Velas called this an example of the excellent caliber and training of the city’s police officers.

“We have an awesome department,” Finance Director Annette Williams said.

“I walked in and dealt with the situation as I was trained to,” Work said afterward. “I just kept trying to keep going until the EMS guys got there. … The people there told me she was probably under the influence of drugs. … It was in an apartment here in town.”

The woman survived the incident.