Neunan, Ga.-Four Coweta County firefighters whose heads-up response saved the life of a worker during an anhydrous ammonia release last July at a packaging plant have been honored for their heroic action. The four – three of them seasoned crew members, and the fourth a rookie who had just completed training – were on the scene without their special protection suits at frozen fruit, juice, and vegetable manufacturer Gregory Packaging – ahead of the HAZMAT team. Knowing that time was the critical factor, the firefighters determined their regular firefighter suits would provide enough protection to allow them to go inside and attempt a rescue. “They made an educated decision, based on the known and potential unknown factors, that the level of protection they had with them would be sufficient for a quick extraction,” Deputy Chief Todd Moore said. “They knew the guy was in there, he was down, and unresponsive. He ended up being severely burned (but alive).” Moore presented Jason Gazaway, Jim Cadenhead, Enrico Dean, and Josh Gould with fire service life saving pins and certificates at a regular meeting of the Coweta County commission Sept. 21.
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