Two Glades County Firefighter/EMTs were honored for bravery at the Feb. 12 meeting of the Glades County Commission.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Already have an account? Log in to continue. Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
Please log in to continue |
![MOORE HAVEN -- At the Glades County Commission meeting on Feb. 12, two Glades County employees, Firefighter/EMT Hunter Mehrer, and Firefighter/EMT Hilario Rodriguez, were presented with a Valor Pin and Certificate of Valor for their services performed on Dec. 29, 2023.. From Left to Right: Commissioner Tony Whidden, Public Safety Director Angela Snow-Colegrove, Commission Chairman Tim Stanley, Firefighter/EMT Rodriguez, Firefighter/EMT Mehrer, Public Safety Chief of Operations Lawrence Factor, Commissioner Jerry Sapp, and Commissioner Hattie Taylor. [Photo courtesy Glades County Government]](/uploads/original/20240213-132337-Glades County Valor.jpg)
MOORE HAVEN – Two Glades County Firefighter/EMTs were honored for bravery at the Feb. 12 meeting of the Glades County Commission.
Firefighter/EMT Hunter Mehrer and Firefighter/EMT Hilario Rodriguez were awarded with Valor Pins and Certificates of Valor from the Glades County Commission.
On the night of Dec. 29, 2023, Mehrer and Rodriguez were on State Road 78 enroute to a medical emergency in Muse when their vehicle collided head-on with another vehicle. The impact to a fuel cell in the emergency vehicle caused it to become engulfed in flames. Both firefighter/EMTs managed to safely exit the truck. They then began rendering care to those from the other vehicle, including a five-year-old child.
Everyone involved in the accident survived the fiery crash.
The firefighters also retrieved costly emergency equipment from the truck.
The Glades County Commissioners commended Mehrer and Rodriguez for their excellent performance during this high-stress event. Both men stayed focused to mitigate the emergency.
Neil Chapman, retired firefighter/paramedic and Training Officer of Miami Beach Fire Rescue also attended the meeting to show his appreciation of these men and explain the importance of the Valor Pin. The Valor Pin is the highest honor bestowed to sworn personnel who perform actions of an extraordinary nature and display an outstanding execution of duties that demonstrates unusual judgment, zeal, ingenuity, bravery, and personal risk, he explained.
“As a citizen, I am very proud of what you guys did,” said Chapman. “Everybody in the community should be very proud,” he added.
