Four Sedalia Firefighters Recognized for Life-saving Efforts

Four Sedalia Firefighters were recognized for their life-saving efforts at Monday night's City Council meeting.

Sedalia Fire Chief Greg Harrell and Deputy Fire Chief Matt Irwin accompanied the firefighters to the meeting, attended in person by the full Council for the first time in months.

Fire Chief Harrell explained that the SFD was called to 901 W. 3rd Street in the early afternoon hours of Feb. 11 to fight a two-story residential fire. Upon arrival, fire crews were advised there was still someone inside the burning apartment house.

Crews from Engine 1, led by Captain Greg Smith, stretched an inch-and-three-quarter hand line to the front of the residence and attempted to extinguish the fire to make entry.

Fire conditions pushed fire crews back out the front door, Harrell said. Captain Smith then made the decision to enter the residence through a window on the front porch.

Leaving the safety of the hand line, Capt. Smith and Firefighter Aleksey Razumovsky entered the residence to begin a search for any victims still inside. While entering the residence, Capt. Smith ordered Firefighter Joey Arnold to wait at the window.

Capt. Smith quickly located an unconscious female victim inside, and upon making radio notifications that he had located a victim, Firefighter Razumovsky made his way to Capt. Smith's location inside the burning residence.

Capt. Smith and Fire Razumovsky, working together, moved the female to the window they had entered through, and handed off the victim to awaiting Firefighter Arnold, who them carried the victim to the front yard, where he and Firefighter Colby Snapp immediately began patient care.

EMS crews arrived shortly, and all worked collaboratively to save the victim. The decision was then made to move her to a waiting ambulance. Firefighter Snapp carried the patient approximately 100 feet to the ambulance, where patient care was turned over to PCAD crews.

All members then went back to fighting the raging fire.

The Command Staff firmly believes that without the quick action and decisions made that day by these Sedalia Firefighters, the outcome for the female victim would have been tragic.

Life Save Awards were then presented to Smith, Razumovsky and Arnold. An Assisted Life Save Award was also presented to Snapp.

All received a standing ovation from Council members, City staff and those attending the presentation.