Arlington Fire Department Awards Medal of Valor to Four Firefighters for Successful Rescue of Trapped Construction Worker
By Susan Schrock, Office of Communication
Posted on May 09, 2023, May 09, 2023

Pictured from Right to Left: Fire Chief Don Crowson, Assistant Chief Jonathan Ingols, Captain Eduardo Saldivar, Lieutenant Mike Joiner, Apparatus Operator Robert Greene, Firefighter Ethan Kelly and Assistant Chief Gerald Randall.

Pictured from right to left: Fire Chief Don Crowson, Assistant Chief Jonathan Ingols, Captain Eduardo Saldivar, Lieutenant Mike Joiner, Apparatus Operator Robert Greene, Firefighter Ethan Kelly and Assistant Chief Gerald Randall.

The Arlington Fire Department awarded the Medal of Valor to four firefighters for the successful rescue of construction worker trapped in an underground pipe at the Pierce Burch Water Treatment Plant earlier this year.

During the May 4 awards ceremony, Fire Chief Don Crowson recognized Captain Eduardo Saldivar, Lieutenant Mike Joiner, Apparatus Operator Robert Greene and Firefighter Ethan Kelly for exhibiting extraordinary courage under dangerous conditions during the confined space rescue on March 20.

On that date, three of the fire department’s special operations teams worked together to free a construction worker from inside an underground 54-inch water transmission line at the water treatment plant, which is undergoing major renovations. The worker’s arm had become trapped when a safety device known as a plug moved unexpectedly. The technical rescue operation required significant support, as the trapped construction worker was located more than 600 feet away from the closest entry point into the pipe, which was buried six feet below ground.

The worker was transported to a local hospital and treated for injuries that were serious but not life-threatening.

The Fire Department has not awarded a medal of valor since March 1996.


Champion Great Neighborhoods
News, Public Safety, Fire, Headlines