COLUMBUS, Ind. — Three Columbus firefighters were awarded the Medal of Valor for their quick actions to save a man's life on Feb. 2.
Lieutenant Rick Mullis and firefighters Derrick Chitwood and Eric Green were the first firefighters to arrive at an early morning apartment fire on Feb. 2.
It was a basement-level fire at Williamsburg Apartments. Witnesses told the firefighters they heard a man calling out from inside a locked apartment.
Additional fire units hadn't arrived yet, so the commanding officer made a game-time decision to break through the locked door and search for people inside.
Inside the smoke-filled apartment, they found the man, who was unconscious. He was pulled from the building and given emergency care. Medics took him to the hospital to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
The Columbus Fire Department said the man was ultimately released from the hospital and continues to recover from his injuries.
Mullis, Chitwood and Green were presented the Medal of Valor on Tuesday morning at Columbus City Hall.
