TodayHometown Heroes
First responders
Rescues, medical saves, and kindness from firefighters, police officers, EMTs, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, and search-and-rescue teams. Each story is checked and linked to the original report.
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First responders in the United States. Each card links to the original report.
HeroesWhen driver Christine Houston could not catch her breath on the ride home from Viola Gibson Elementary, fifth grader Bella Scott called her dad. He boarded the bus, called 911, and helped the children stay calm.
Verified · KCTV5 (KGAN via CNN Newsource)
HeroesFourteen-year-old Kevin Sosa, struck by lightning at a soccer game in August, reunited with Delray Medical Center staff and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. His father's CPR and a bystander's help kept him alive, and he plans to play again.
Verified · WSVN 7News
CommunityOn National First Responders Day, Metro Nashville's dancing dinosaur Rescue Rex showed Gateway Elementary students how to spot an emergency, call 911, and give an address. The free program has reached Davidson County kids for more than 30 years.
Verified · WSMV 4
HeroesJoe Fennel received a Tucson Fire Citizen Award after he called 911 during his mother's seizure and stayed on the line while keeping his little brother calm.
Verified · KVOA
HeroesAriana Leonardis, a student at Ocean County Vocational Technical School, had just learned CPR. Two days later in Tuckerton she helped a 3-week-old start breathing again.
Verified · NJ 101.5
HeroesMackenzie Holmes received Bridgeport's Good Samaritan award after CPR at a basketball game kept Daniel Rowan alive. Three weeks later the two men shook hands.
Verified · WDTV
HeroesGeorge Nanos, 15-year-old Hannah Welling, and 14-year-olds Jaden Vazquez and Keen Cercy received Connecticut General Assembly citations after three swimmers were brought out of Candlewood Lake.
Verified · FOX61
HeroesCrews found the fire in a third-floor bedroom on West Walnut Street, put it out, and rescued a dog. Nobody was hurt.
Verified · WBAY
HeroesSgt. Zane Pedersen and Deputy Dillon Donaldson were at a Daddy-Daughter Dance in Bryan with their families when they stepped in and got a choking man breathing again.
Verified · KBTX
HeroesThomas McGrimley slipped on a ledge near the summit in Bean's Purchase. Twenty-four volunteers reached him, splinted his leg, and carried him out in a litter.
Verified · Conway Daily Sun
HeroesOfficer Alex Neel heard the dispatch, joined bystanders who were already doing CPR at a restaurant, and delivered shocks with a defibrillator. The woman regained consciousness at the scene.
Verified · WBIW
HeroesThe boys climbed steep rock south of the lookout and could not get down. A Washoe County helicopter crew lifted them to deputies waiting below. They were tired and cold, and in good condition.
Verified · The Mountain Messenger
HeroesA broken water main flooded Gregg Way before dawn. The driver climbed onto the stuck truck, and Cheyenne Fire Rescue brought him down with an aerial ladder. No one was hurt.
Verified · Cap City News
HeroesMore than 40 responders, including State Law Enforcement Division bloodhounds and the Department of Natural Resources, found Opel Hawkins safe Monday evening after an hours-long search in Fairfield County.
Verified · WIS
CommunityCapital Yacht Club members and Wharf restaurants served a thank-you lunch to police, firefighters, EMS crews, and National Guard members at the Wharf.
Verified · WTOP
HeroesJacob Gilmore received the Iowa City Fire Department's Medal of Bravery after he pulled a colleague out from under a collapsed floor during a July house fire.
Verified · KWWL
HeroesStill dressed as a banana after a Halloween party, Stephanie Oropeza called police when a vehicle drove into The Moderne's outdoor seating. No one was hurt, and the bar thanked her with a meal.
Verified · News 6
HeroesA hiker called 911 after getting turned around at Lizard's Mouth on Oct. 22. Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue used a phone location and three teams, and the first team walked him to his vehicle.
Verified · edhat
HeroesOn Oct. 24, police started CPR and used a defibrillator on a 64-year-old in cardiac arrest. Paramedics and a fire engine crew continued care until a pulse returned, and the patient went to the cath lab.
Verified · Fall River Reporter
HeroesEl Dorado firefighter Jacob Brimer ran from the Louisiana line to the Missouri line for Camp Sunshine and raised more than $15,000, with crews joining him town by town.
Verified · El Dorado News-Times
HeroesFloodwater took his supplies near Sheeps Bridge. He got one message out before his phone died, and a Yavapai County crew found him exhausted and in good health.
Verified · Arizona's Family
HeroesTwo groups got stranded on the closed Rock of Ages trail in the Columbia River Gorge. Multnomah County search-and-rescue volunteers found both pairs and walked them out.
Verified · The Oregonian
HeroesOfficer Elizabeth Mote took over after a neighbor started chest compressions on a 1-year-old who was not breathing. The child coughed, went to the hospital, and later made a full recovery.
Verified · WHIO
HeroesCrews reached a Concord Street house at 6:30 a.m. and took one man out through a second-floor window. Another person left by the back door. Neither stayed for medics, and no firefighter was hurt.
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