By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Heroes are sometimes created in unexpected places – like in jail. They are found in small packages – like young children. Some are trained to respond to crises, but many rise to occasions they have never prepared for – like a delivery man who braved a fire to rescue people inside.
Last week, the Black Swamp Humanitarian Awards committee presented its annual awards to area residents who helped save lives in the past year. Following are those recognized for their heroic efforts.
Beyond the call
On July 23, Washington Township Assistant Fire Chief Dustin Sautter was driving his family to Bowling Green after a long day of preparing their livestock for the Wood County Fair. As he was driving down Poe Road, a car was sitting in a driveway with people waving him down for help.
Sautter stopped and found an unconscious, unresponsive person in the back seat of the car. He pulled the patient out of the vehicle and immediately started CPR. His wife, Ashley, took over the phone call to the dispatch center and provided updates.
Sautter continued performing CPR for seven to eight minutes until Washington Township Rescue 837 arrived on scene. As he continued CPR, the crew established an airway and started bag valve ventilations. MidCounty 120 arrived on scene as the patient regained a pulse and once inside MidCounty 120, the patient started talking to the EMS crew.
Good Samaritan
On Aug. 5, Perrysburg Fire Division responded to a working apartment fire on Three Meadows Court.
Uyless Williams III, a delivery driver who happened to be at the apartment complex, became aware of the emergency and immediately took action to help. He attempted to assist the occupant of the apartment on fire, and called 911.
Recognizing that other residents of the multi-unit apartment building were also in danger, Williams did not wait for emergency responders to arrive. Instead, he moved through the building, knocking on doors and alerting neighbors so they could escape.
The fire resulted in the death of one resident where the fire originated. However, Williams’ quick thinking and willingness to act helped alert other occupants to the rapidly developing emergency and gave them valuable time to evacuate the building.
According to Perrysburg Fire Chief William McCullough, Williams had no obligation to place himself in harm’s way that evening. He was not a firefighter, police officer or other emergency responder – he was a citizen who recognized that others needed help and chose to act.
His actions exemplified the very meaning of a Good Samaritan – compassion for a stranger, courage in the face of danger, and a willingness to help others without expectation of recognition or reward, McCullough said.
Williams’ response demonstrates how the actions of an ordinary citizen can make an extraordinary difference during a critical incident, the fire chief said.
Good Samaritan
Sometimes heroes nearly go unnoticed. On Sept. 9, an inmate at the Wood County Jail notified deputies that he had choked on food and was given abdominal thrusts to clear the blockage by another inmate.
Deputies reviewed video footage showing inmate Alfred Gould getting up from his seat to see what was happening. The inmate who was choking came out of his cell and gave a sign that his throat was blocked.
Gould immediately dropped the items in his hand and got behind the inmate and gave four abdominal thrusts, dislodging the item from his throat.
Service to others
On Jan. 25, Isabelle “Izzy” Fleig awoke at 6:17 a.m. to the screech of her Middleton Township home’s smoke alarm. She went downstairs to see a fire in the kitchen, the room right below her second story bedroom.
Instead of panicking, Izzy remained calm, alerted her family, called 9-1-1 and helped ensure everyone—two younger siblings and three dogs —were moved safely out of the house.
Izzy, age 14 at the time, took her 4-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister to a pickup truck parked in the driveway and secured the dogs in kennels.
The weather conditions outside were difficult, with blowing and drifting snow, and below-zero wind chills.
Izzy has already received a certificate of commendation from Ohio State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon for her “courage and responsible choices” and the way she “handled a dangerous situation with confidence and care.”
An honors student at Anthony Wayne High School, Izzy said she didn’t have time to think about what was going on, “I think instinct just kicked in,” she said. “When I heard the smoke alarm, I first had to keep them (her younger siblings) upstairs while I checked everything. As soon as I saw the fire, I knew that we had to get ready and get everyone out.”
Service to others
On Aug. 11, Al Borowicz suddenly collapsed at his Perrysburg Township home and instructed his granddaughter to call 911, which she did immediately. While waiting for emergency responders to arrive, the children (two grandchildren and a friend – Lillyana Gunner, 8, Braiden Gunner, 7, and Kayden Byrd, 7) secured the family dog and went outside to help direct the ambulance to the residence on Latcha Road.
Throughout the incident, the children remained calm and composed, then guided EMS personnel inside so they could provide care to their grandfather. Prior to this event, Borowicz had been teaching the children how and when to call 911 due to concerns related to his wife’s health. Ironically, it was Borowicz himself who ultimately required their assistance, and the skills he had taught them proved invaluable during the emergency.
