Deputy Sheriff Steven Gonzales received the news that he was a recipient of the Sheriff’s Lifesaving award shortly after his daughter Kinleigh was born in January. It had been an eventful six months for Gonzales, who had weathered the fires on his regular beat in south county—Carpinteria, Summerland and Montecito—and the award cast light on a positive moment from the summer. Gonzales had been selected for the award because of his quick response and decisive action that resulted in saving a life. On July 22, Gonzales heard a “Code Blue” over the wire signaling that an individual had fallen off his bike near the Montecito YMCA on San Ysidro Road and was non responsive. Gonzales grabbed his Automated External Defibrillator and hurried to the scene. Upon arrival, Gonzales found a bystander already giving chest compressions to the cyclist who was turning blue. After cutting off the man’s shirt, Gonzales put the AED pads on his chest and waited for the machine to run its checklist. In short order, the AED delivered at least one shock to the cyclist before the fire and paramedics arrived and continued the CPR. Gonzales’ initial CPR is credited with helping to ensure a full recovery for the cyclist. Gonzales has been an officer since he was 21, but this was the first time he deployed an AED in an attempt to save someone’s life. “Training pays off. The AED, believe it or not, it works. It is a lifesaving device,” said Gonzales who also credited the sheriff department’s training in his ability to properly use the AED and attend to the individual in need. In his 22 years of service he’s “seen a bit of everything, in this job. Unfortunately, you see a little too much,” remarked Gonzales who has witnessed homicides and officer-involved shootings, and was called to the mass shooting in Isla Vista, and to the fatal shooting at the Goleta Post Office. For Gonzales, the lifesaving moment being celebrated is, “the better side. It’s bringing somebody back. I lost my grandfather in 2015, and when I think about this man, we brought a grandfather or a father back.”