Portsmouth officers at the scene of a February 26, 2009 deadly standoff say there is no doubt that tactical medic team leader Jeff Yates is the reason two of their own are alive today. The SWAT team was called in when a mentally unstable man had barricaded himself in his home after threatening health workers and their police escort with a knife. A phone for negotiating was thrown into the home but then the subject opened fire with a shotgun. The front officer holding the ballistic shield, Scott Blystone, was shot in the upper leg. Officer Frank Natal reached out to grab the wounded officer when a bullet struck his arm and severed a nerve and an artery. Medic Yates grabbed both men and shielded them with his body while working calmly to stop the bleeding despite the flying bullets around them. He then ran across the open field of fire five times to help carry the men to safety. For his heroism, Medic Yates received a Silver Medal of Valor from the Portsmouth Fire Department, as well as another Medal of Valor plus a Life-Saving Award from the American Police Hall of Fame. Jeff Yates has been a paramedic since 1988 and has been a SWAT medic for the Portsmouth Police Department since 1996 and is currently in charge of their SWAT medical program. He received citations in 1997, 1998 and 1999 for outstanding service, as well as a 2007 Life-Saving Award. In 2008, he was Paramedic of the Year and received two more Life-Saving awards. He completed a Masters degree as a physician assistant in 2003 and is currently an assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School where he is a faculty member of PI ALPHA National Honor Society and involved in a community health literacy program and children's health fair. He also works at the local trauma center and has been awarded for his involvement in Operation Smile, traveling to Honduras and Panama to treat children. A modern day Clark Kent, one moment he's teaching in the classroom and the next he's getting paged out of class and into the field with his SWAT gear; Jeff Yates is always ready to help.