DeFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. -- Randy Hatcher has worked as a firefighter for more than six years, but he never had to rescue someone from a burning building.
Not until late last month, when he helped save three small children and their pregnant mother.
On Monday, he and the four other men who rescued the family from a fire will be honored at the DeFuniak Springs fire house.
"It is very, very seldom that rescues happen like this," said Brian Coley, fire chief for Walton County Fire Rescue and the DeFuniak Springs Fire Department. "The movies don't depict what really happens.
"Firefighters can go their whole life without making a rescue like this. What they did is pretty rare."
Also being recognized are Lt. Chad Nelson with DeFuniak Springs Fire and Battalion Chief Bill May and firefighter George McLeod with Walton County Fire Rescue.
According to Hatcher, when he and firefighters from Argyle Volunteer Fire, DeFuniak Springs Fire and Walton County Fire Rescue arrived at the fully involved house fire at 303 S. Norwood Road on Sept. 14, they received sobering news.
"Most of the time when you get to the fire everyone's already out, but this time we were told there was a whole family inside," Hatcher said.
Before going in, they were told the oldest child was only 6 and the youngest was 2.
They found the family huddled together in a room with a single window that was blocked by a large dresser.
Hatcher, Nelson and McLeod each grabbed a child. Once the children were rescued, the mother was able to crawl to the bathroom and escape through a window.
"I've been to a lot of fires where people didn't make it out. This is my first where they all made it," Nelson said. "I don't think any of us spoke on the way back to the station that night. It was overwhelming what we had done. It felt good to do that."
Paramedic Ben Martin provided medical care to the children and their mother before they were taken to the hospital.
"This job is something I've done for more than 25 years," Martin said. "When I was told about receiving an award, I just wondered what it was for. Granted, it's not every day we rescue people from a building, but we were all just doing our jobs."
"We all do it every day. Each time we put on a uniform, we risk our lives," May said. "It's nice to let everybody be recognized. This is the job we do and we're glad we do it."
Copyright 2012 - Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
