“Our priority is life safety here. I could hear her, and I knew I had to help,” he said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
Through heavy smoke and heat, which allowed a mere 6-8 inches of visibility, Collins continued through the apartment without a charged line. He quickly found the resident and, with assistance from Timmsen, brought her safely downstairs and out of the building. The woman was then taken to UnityPoint Health-Trinity Muscatine, where she was treated for carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning.
“I just heard the voice and was able to locate her, and that’s how it all ended up,” Collins said.
He has not spoken to the woman since that day, though he was still happy to hear that she survived.
“That’s kind of the unfortunate thing about our job,” he said. “A lot of times, we don’t hear from the outcomes of everything, and that’s just part of it.”
Ewers said: “(Collins’) actions directly contributed to the survival of the patient. I truly believe that he acted within his scope, and his actions and attentiveness saved the life of the victim.”
Collins, felt a bit differently.
“I was given the award for locating the resident, but the truth be known, it took the whole team to do this,” he said. “We’re all a team together, and all of us on shift that day were on-scene together, and it’s truly a team effort. I’m thankful that everyone who was there that day was there and that we were able to get her out quickly, get her the medical care she needed and put out the fire.”