Like many little children, Justin Davidson wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up.
"That's all he's wanted to do since he was five," Pamela Davidson said during an interview recently.
And, the proud mother says she has her son to thank for saving not only the family home but her husband and pets as well.
Davidson was honored for his efforts as a recipient of the 2010 Firehouse Heroism awards.
The career firefighter in Anne Arundel County, Md., was taking a nap in his childhood home near Philadelphia on April 11, 2010 when his mother ran in shouting that the house was on fire.
The University of Maryland graduate said he saw smoke billowing from the attic as he ushered his mother and two dogs from the house.
While she called 911, Davidson went back in to assist his father, who suffers from a number of illnesses. "He was down on one knee, but he didn't collapse."
After he was safely out of the house, Davidson grabbed a bucket and a shovel and went back in.
"I thought I could keep the fire in check until the fire department got there."
Despite warnings and threats from local police officers to get out and stay out, Davidson said his training with a ladder company kicked in, and he used the shovel like a hook.
Mrs. Davidson says she's certain that their modest one-and-a-half story home would have burned to the ground had her son not intervened as he did.
Davidson suffered a shoulder injury during the effort, and his father spent five days in the hospital following the blaze.
Mrs. Davidson said while she supported her son's mission to follow his dream of becoming a firefighter, she stood steadfast that education also was important.
"We're pleased that he did listen," she said with a laugh. "He graduated from the University of Maryland and got his masters at Johns Hopkins."
While attending Maryland, Davidson lived and volunteered at the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department where he once served as a captain. He now volunteers in College Park.
"I wasn't worried about him being in the house. I know he's very well trained."
Susan Nicol | News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.
