A Houston firefighter who pulled a driver to safety from a burning car and returned to the vehicle to remove a gun was honored Wednesday as firefighter of the year.
In July 2011, Jared Keith was off-duty when he saw an accident on the 610 loop.
A pickup truck that rear-ended a large truck was ablaze, and the driver was still inside.
Though he was off the clock, he sprung into action, calling 911 and pulling the driver out of the window to safety. The driver told him he had a pistol in the burning truck.
Keith, 28, returned to the vehicle and removed the pistol so the responding firefighters wouldn't be in danger.
He was awarded a Medal of Valor in April for his service.
Loves his job
Because of his act of bravery while off duty, Keith, a firefighter EMT of four years, was named the 2011 Firefighter of the Year at a Maggiano's luncheon hosted by the Independent Insurance Agents of Houston (IIAH).
The agents have been recognizing the firefighter of the year for 34 years.
Keith, who lives in Cleveland, described the experience as "unbelievable."
"I love everything about [being a firefighter]," he said.
Inspired by his father, also a firefighter, he added that he liked "helping people in the worst time of their lives."
Nominees praised
Other nominees included engineer operator/EMT Scotch Blair, senior communication Capt. David Keller Jr. and Capt. David Pate.
"When firefighters rescue or save a life, they say, 'It was just another day on the job,' that may be true for a firefighter, but the rest of us know that it's more than that," said Phil Swift, the president-elect of IIAH.
"We don't want anything bad to happen to [citizens], but our members would say, 'If it's going to happen to them, let it happen while I'm working,' " said Houston Fire Chief Terry Garrison.
Copyright 2012 - Houston Chronicle
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
