By Joe Reavis
A swift water rescue and lifesaving efforts won firefighters and emergency medical personnel special recognition at the annual Wylie Fire Rescue awards banquet.
The banquet was held Friday, Feb. 19, at the First Baptist Church Special Events Center. Welcoming guests and serving as master of ceremonies was Fire Chief Brent Parker.
“2015 was another exciting year for Wylie Fire- Rescue,” Parker said. “We started the year with water rescues and ended with a tornado.”
Firefighters Jared Buckmeier and Travis Araujo were awarded the Medal of Valor for their efforts in conducting a swift water rescue on May 29 when they responded to a call in Sachse of a woman who was trapped on top of her car in floodwaters.
“The Fire Medal of Valor is awarded for extraordinary bravery and heroism at imminent risk of serious bodily injury,” Parker said. “This is obviously a very rare award and is taken very seriously by this organization.”
To effect the rescue, Buckmeier piloted a Hovercraft and Araujo worked as the rescuer in deteriorating conditions to retrieve the woman and take her to safety. Even though the hovercraft was damaged during the operation, the two firefighters persevered until the rescue was completed.
Three Life Save Awards and recognition were given for actions during the past year.
Receiving the CPR Life Save award was a crew from Station One who responded to a Sept. 27 motorcycle accident on Hwy. 78, administering care to stabilize the victim for transportation to a hospital. Members of the responding crew were Battalion Chief Robert Ballard, Capt. Matt McCormick, Keith Boldroff and Brad Campbell.
Emergency dispatcher Tristian Whittle was presented the Telecommunications Live Save Award when she took a 911 call May 17 from a mother whose young son had stopped breathing. Whittle calmly talked the parents through lifesaving EMS procedures to clear the child’s airway and perform CPR until emergency units arrived.
A response to a call of a women in cardiac arrest on Thanksgiving morning earned a Station 3 shift the CPR Life Save Award. Members of the shift were Kevin Scott, Mike Shaley and Battalion Chief James Brown.
For full story see The Wylie News at http://www.etypeservices.com/Wylie%20NewsID245/default.aspx
For a swift water rescue last year, Travis Araugo, pictured, and Jared Buchmeier were awarded the Medal of Valor by Wylie Fire Rescue. Pictured behind Araujo are Asst. Chief Brandon Blyth and Capt. Casey Nash.
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