On March 4, 2008, Lieutenant Burt Himmer was working at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy teaching a defensive tactics course to Basic Recruit Class 333.  Lieutenant Himmer observed a recruit looking pale, and the recruit eventually passed out. He called EMS, and since the recruit had regained consciousness upon their arrival, EMS refused to transport the recruit to the hospital. EMS left and Lieutenant Himmer continued to monitor the recruit, whose condition began to deteriorate again. He called EMS a second time and demanded that the recruit be transported to the hospital. The recruit was later diagnosed with internal bleeding from a ruptured spleen and would have died had Lieutenant Himmer not taken such decisive action.

The persistence of Lieutenant Himmer coupled with his education and training saved the life of law enforcement recruit.