Five Frankfort Fire Department members were awarded with recognitions for their efforts in the case involving a submerged vehicle in the City Lagoons in November with two members receiving the Medal of Honor
On Nov. 19, around 5 p.m., the Frankfort Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a submerged vehicle at the City Lagoons. The A Crew responded to the call with Deputy Chief Josh Uitts in command. As the firefighters arrived, the Frankfort Police Department and the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office were already on the scene attempting to determine whether an individual was still trapped within the submerged vehicle. The fire crew located one of the passengers that was still trapped inside the vehicle. Captain Scott Freeman, firefighter Korben Shirar and firefighter Adam Lucas assessed the situation and determined that water rescue personnel would need to be utilized. Firefighters Jeff Moore and Trent Booth dawned protective gear and dove under the water to rescue the trapped individual.
“These quick actions were taken by firefighter Moore and firefighter Booth to secure the vehicle, locate the female patient, and firefighter Trent Booth located the female patient at the side of the vehicle, and with the assistance of firefighter Moore got the female patient out to the shore where fire personnel and EMS personnel initiated treatment,” Fire Chief Matt Stidham said.
Stidham commented that the five members of the crew acted quickly to assess the situation and rescue the individual trapped within the vehicle, and he continued to present the firefighters with recognitions and awards for their efforts. Freeman, Shirar and Lucas received recognition for their efforts and commitment to the rescue efforts that resulted in the safe recovery of the victim submerged in the vehicle.
“Instances like this are not a routine activity that our firefighters encounter very often,” Stidham said. “We train physically and mentally for many incidents, but on this day, these men responded with courage, bravery and determination and placed themselves in imminent personal risk to themselves just to save a victim.”
Stidham continued to announce that Moore and Booth would be presented with the Medal of Honor for their actions taken that night. Stidham commented that the Medal of Honor is a highly prestigious award given to firefighters that risk their own lives to save the lives of others in the community.
“They put themselves in a position that was not only dangerous but was not a routine type of a call that we go on,” Stidham said. “To receive the Medal of Honor in the fire service, the firefighter must be a member of the department who in the performance of duty while on a call under extreme hazardous conditions in which the members are confronted with imminent personal risk and has full knowledge of that risk performs an action of conspicuous heroism which furthers the highest tradition of the fire service–the Medal of Honor.”
Stidham concluded by stating that while the firefighters may look upon the situation as “another day on the job,” their actions deserved further recognition as they risked their lives to save another.
“The fire service is a very modest profession,” Stidham said. “We see our responsibility to our community as reward enough each and every day, and within our profession, we look at each one of these types of incidents as just part of the job, but this type of incident needs to be recognized by myself as the Fire Chief and as a city in which we represent.”
Frankfort Mayor Judy Sheets commented that the city holds a high respect for the firefighters who acted that night, stating that she remains extremely proud of their efforts to protect and serve the community every day.
“I’m so proud of those guys to have went above and beyond,” Sheets said. “I know it’s their job, but when you’re faced with those issues sometimes it’s tough, but they just went right to what they were supposed to do, how they’ve been trained and what they know best. I’m really proud of them. That’s an honor, and I think we should all be proud of them for what they did.”
Moore and Booth both received the Medal of Honor for their efforts in rescuing the individual trapped in the submerged vehicle, and Freeman, Shirar and Lucas were recognized for their role in the initial assessment of the situation at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 27.