For immediate release

Contact: Sara Schafer, sschafer@amec.org or 573-659-3415

Scheib honored with Lifesaving Award

            Mike Scheib, CEO/General Manager of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Lancaster, was honored with the Lifesaving Award by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) at that organization’s annual meeting Oct. 2 in Branson.

Because of the nature of the work they do, electric cooperative employees receive extensive life-saving training. They hope they never need these skills but are prepared to put their training to work whether it is helping an injured employee or a member of the public. The AMEC Lifesaving Award was created to recognize those employees who take action to save a life.

On Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, line crews went to dinner following extended outage restoration efforts in Tri-County’s service territory. 

While a lineman was eating dinner, a piece of steak became lodged in his throat. The lineman began choking and indicated he could not breathe. One of the co-op’s linemen tried performing the Heimlich maneuver but was unsuccessful. Mike jumped in without hesitation. He promptly performed the Heimlich on the lineman and successfully dislodged the steak which allowed the lineman to breathe again.

If it weren’t for Mike’s quick thinking and life-saving training, this routine day could have become tragic.

The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Jefferson City, is the statewide service organization for Missouri’s electric cooperatives.