Patricia Bradshaw, 57, and her 13-year-old grandson, Treven Johnson, were driving to a fastfood restaurant on Jan. 2 when they saw a fire at a manufactured home park in Keizer.
Bradshaw had just picked up her grandson from his older brother's house and was eager to get home. But instead of simply calling the fire department, she jumped out of her van to see whether anyone was hurt.
Bradshaw said she saw people with cell phones stopped alongside the road calling 911. When she got closer to the burning home, Bradshaw saw Patricia Wilson, 52, the owner of the house, standing near a Dumpster with a thick rug wrapped over her skin.
Wilson had been severely burned. Steam was rising off her skin and she said something about going back inside the house to save her pet cats, Bradshaw said.
''I told her 'You can't go in there now. You need to stay away.' I was either going to drag her or pick her up, but I wasn't going to let her go back in there,'' Bradshaw said.
When other people might have panicked, Bradshaw stayed calm and tried to soothe Wilson, walking her to a neighbor's porch until fire trucks arrived, said Keizer Fire District spokesman Jim Trett.
By taking control of the situation, Bradshaw and her grandson likely saved Wilson's life, Trett said.
''The calmer you stay, the more rational decisions you make,'' he said.
For their efforts, the fire district honored Bradshaw and her grandson with the Bob Wickman Lifesaving Award.
''It wasn't really that big of a deal. I'm not a hero,'' Bradshaw said. ''In that type of situation, you just don't have time to be scared.''
Information from: Statesman Journal
