By Ann Niccum, as published in the Edwardsville Intelligencer .

The American Red Cross honored several heroes from Edwardsville on Monday during a ceremony in Creve Coeur, MO.

The event was part of the Red Cross Lifesaver Program where the organization honors those who, through training, have prepared themselves for an emergency and, when one occurs, are able to reach out and save a life.

Last March, a car hit a utility pole in the 1700 block of Yellow Hammer Crossing in Edwardsville.

The impact caused the pole to break and power lines to fall onto the car.

The car contained a group of teenagers including Molly Carver.

As Carver tried to exit the vehicle, she was shocked by the downed power lines. The jolt left her lifeless.

But thanks to those who responded and gave her CPR, Carver's life was saved.

Those who played a role in saving her life included: Edwardsville firefighters and paramedics James Anderson, Brett Milton, Robert Morgan and Mark Parker along with an off duty emergency room physician, Dr. Keith Byler, and a passenger in the car, Stuart Marshall.

To honor their efforts, the American Red Cross presented each with the Red Cross Lifesaver Award.

In response, Fire Chief Brian Wilson said the ceremony brought back memories of that evening and reminded him of the heroic effort made by all responders.

"Attending this awards ceremony and seeing Molly there was a very emotional time for me and all of those who treated her that night. Then to see these firefighters/paramedics honored this way was one of my proudest moments in over 30 years in the fire service," Wilson said.

"Granted, this is a profession that we chose which puts us in the position to "save lives" on what some would call a routine basis. But even with all of our training and equipment, successful resuscitation efforts are not common. More often than not, once a person is pulseless and non-breathing, we do not see the success in restoring those life sustaining functions as often as we would hope. The biggest reason for this is that most victims do not receive any trained care prior to our arrival. Keeping the vital organs oxygenated through effective CPR will greatly increase the chances of resuscitation. There is no doubt in my mind that the citizen CPR performed prior to our arrival in this case contributed to the wonderful outcome and successful resuscitation. This is a prime example of what we have stressed for years - a bystander rendering proper aid until trained and equipped assistance arrived. Everyone should be trained in CPR at minimum," he added.

Other members of the region were presented with the award for similar lifesaving efforts.

The award is given to residents from the area who prepare themselves through training and then reach out and save a life.

The Red Cross started the Lifesaver Award program in 1984, and since then has honored more than 300 heroes from the St. Louis metropolitan area.

The award program recognizes local heroes who have responded in an emergency and hopes that it will inspire others to get trained in First Aid and CPR and save lives.

Locally, the Red Cross trained more than 85,000 people in CPR and First Aid and more than 15,000 in how to use Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

For more information about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, or how you can help, call the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or log on to www.redcrossstl.org.