The Bulletin notes - Florida police officers save family - Tennessee officer saves car accident victim

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Nov, 2002

Law enforcement officers are challenged daily in the performance of their duties; they face each challenge freely and unselfishly while answering the call to duty. In certain instances, their actions warrant special attention from their respective departments. The Bulletin also wants to recognize those situations that transcend the normal rigors of the law enforcement profession.

Officers Prathet Junlakan and Jeff Davis of the Panama City, Florida, Police Department were on patrol when they observed a residential fire. As they approached the residence, they saw a person running out the door carrying a burning mattress. The person threw the mattress in the yard and ran back into the house. Officer Junlakan sprayed the mattress with a fire extinguisher. Officer Davis entered the home and encountered a large amount of smoke. He located the man who had just run inside, and he helped him outside to safety. Officer Davis went back inside the house and located the man's wife in a back bedroom. She was attempting to put out the fire, but Officer Davis convinced her to leave with him. Then, Officer Junlakan entered the home and heard someone coughing. He located a 4-year-old boy alone in a bedroom, and he carried the child out of the house to safety. Officer Davis went back into the house with a fire extinguisher and put out the fire in the bedroom. The quick thinking and courageous actions of Officers Junlakan and Davis saved the lives of these three people.

While off duty one afternoon at his parents' residence, Officer Steve Howe of the Trenton, Tennessee, Police Department heard a loud crash. An automobile accident had just occurred in front of the home. Officer Howe rushed to the car and found a young female who had been thrown approximately 40 feet from the vehicle. He checked the victim and found that she did not have a heartbeat nor was she breathing. Officer Howe administered CPR until the victim regained a heartbeat. The victim was unable to breath because her throat and lungs had filled with blood. Using a vacuum hose from another car, Officer Howe cleared the young woman's airway. She suffered two broken arms, two broken legs, a broken back, and a concussion. Officer Howe's inventiveness and fast actions throughout this incident prevented the young woman from choking to death.