Firefighters honored for bravery

Four Addison firefighters and three Oxford residents were among those honored May 18 by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for their extraordinary efforts in saving lives and assisting public safety personnel over the past year.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard (from left), Addison Twp. Fire Chief Jerry Morawski, Sgt. Chuck Johnson and EMS Coordinator Rob Fitzpatrick pose during last week's National Peace Officers Day awards ceremony in Pontiac. Photo provided.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard (from left), Addison Twp. Fire Chief Jerry Morawski, Sgt. Chuck Johnson and EMS Coordinator Rob Fitzpatrick pose during last week’s National Peace Officers Day awards ceremony in Pontiac. Photo provided.

From the Addison Fire Department, Chief Jerry Morawski, Sgt. Joe Fisher, Sgt. Chuck Johnson, and EMS Coordinator Rob Fitzpatrick were recognized during the OCSO National Peace Officer’s Day Annual Awards Ceremony for the dedication they showed during an incident that occurred in the 100 block of Frick Rd. on Oct. 24, 2015.

All four firefighters rushed onto an unsecured crime scene to rescue a 44-year-old Addison Township woman who had been allegedly shot three times by her husband, Grant David Anderson, following a dispute.

The woman was found on the front steps of the home and had sustained gunshot wounds to the stomach, leg and hand. While Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies held Anderson at bay, Morawski and his team quickly lifted the injured woman off the porch, put her on an emergency stretcher and loaded her onto the ambulance.

They then whisked the woman from the dangerous scene to McLaren Oakland hospital in Pontiac for treatment.

Anderson pointed the gun at himself before eventually surrendering to the SWAT team. The victim later recovered.

Morawski, Fisher, Johnson, and Fitzpatrick were presented the Citation for Meritorious Service award.

“(It’s) very unexpected. We were just doing our job,” Morawski said. “It’s really nice to be able to have a job where you are paid for saving somebody’s life . . . I think that’s the best reward ever, really.”

Addison Township Supervisor Bruce Pearson attended the ceremony to commend the staff for their heroism.

“They’ll tell you that’s their job, but they went above and beyond by putting themselves in harm’s way like that . . . I truly believe they saved (her) life,” Pearson said.

Three Oxford residents were also given Citizen Citation awards during the ceremony for their assistance during an Oxford Township house fire that occurred on W. Drahner Rd. on August 18, 2015.

The three civilians recognized were Dan Bedard, Richard Serek and Jennifer Strong.

The fire was coming from an attached garage at the home.

Strong, a neighbor, noticed the smoke coming from the garage. She immediately called 9-1-1 and rushed to the home to save the family pet, despite the smoke.

Bedard and Serek had been driving on W. Drahner when they noticed the smoke and stopped to help after reporting the fire.

Serek entered the home to check for occupants, while Bedard remained at the door for support.

 

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