Engineer Derek Craft (second from left) of the Whitfield County Fire Department and telecommunicator Raina Hall (right) of Whitfield E-911 hold Life Saving Awards presented to them during the Feb. 16 county commission meeting by Chairman Jevin Jensen (left) and Commissioner Barry Robbins. Not pictured is Lt. Justin Hutcherson of the fire department, who teamed with Craft and Hall to rescue an elderly man trapped in a burning home in January.
photo by Mitch Talley
Three public safety workers from Whitfield County received Life Saving Awards after combining forces to rescue a 71-year-old man from a burning home in January.
Honored with plaques for going “above and beyond the call of duty,” according to Commission Chairman Jevin Jensen, were Lt. Justin Hutcherson and Engineer Derek Craft of the Whitfield County Fire Department and Telecommunicator Raina Hall of Whitfield E-911.
Fire Chief Ed O’Brien said 911 received a call on Jan. 28 to 525 Doe Trail, where Ms. Hall learned that the elderly man couldn’t get out of the burning trailer and needed help as soon as possible.
“During our seven-minute response time,” Chief O’Brien said, “Raina kept him on the phone. I hope some of you have listened to the tape that was in the media (and on the county Facebook page). He was begging for his life; he knew he was going to die.”
Fortunately, firefighters arrived on the scene, “and went into what we call rescue mode,” Chief O’Brien said. “That doesn’t happen often in the fire service. Most of the time, by the time we get there, we hate to admit it, but the person’s usually passed away. Lt. Hutcherson, who was already dressed since he was riding seat on the engine, went in to make a quick entry while Engineer Craft, who had been driving, got dressed to back him up.”
With smoke banked to the floor causing zero visibility, Hutcherson was able to locate the victim, grabbed him under his arm and dragged him a few feet, according to Chief O’Brien.
“During that ensuing time in the living room,’ he said, “the door to the house closed, and Lt. Hutcherson could tell he was disoriented a little bit. About that time, Engineer Craft came through the door, located the two of them, and helped get the man out of the structure.”
At last report, the victim’s condition is continuing to improve.
“People ask me, what does this mean in the fire service?” Chief O’Brien said. “If any of you play golf, (a rescue like this) is like a hole-in-one. I’ve been in the fire service 36 years, and I haven’t done it. With Derek and Justin and this crew, it’s amazing, truly amazing what they’ve done.”
Josh Cherry, deputy director for 911, praised Ms. Hall for her role in the rescue, maintaining contact with the victim on the phone, finding out where the man was located in the home and instructing him on what to do, such as looking for a towel to try and breathe through until rescuers could arrive.
“Raina has done a great job at the 911 Center,” Deputy Director Cherry said at the meeting. “Her training kicked in and she did a great job.”