The lifesaving acts of three Springdale volunteer firefighters during a call in April resulted in recognition from the Allegheny County Volunteer Firefighters Association.
During a recent Springdale Council meeting, fire Chief Kevin Wilhelm presented Capt. Daniel Copeland, Lt. Zachary Wilhelm and firefighter Ethan Sanders with the association’s Heroism Award.
“It’s obviously an honor to be recognized,” said Zachary Wilhelm. “We don’t go out to calls looking to be recognized. We look to help as many people as we can in their time of need.”
Kevin Wilhelm said the fire department’s Quick Response Service was dispatched outside of Springdale Floral on Pittsburgh Street at 8:45 p.m. on April 15 for reports of an unconscious person.
Zachary Wilhelm and Copeland responded to the scene and saw a car that ran into a telephone pole, with a “badly injured” female driver, Kevin Wilhelm said. Copeland and Zachary Wilhelm began measures to control serious blood loss from the injured woman’s head and body.
Fire crews arrived on scene and Sanders began C-spine management on the woman, Kevin Wilhelm said. The responding EMS agency was more than five minutes away from the scene, he said.
Copeland, Zachary Wilhelm and Sanders extracted the woman from her car and crews were able to get her into an ambulance to be taken to a hospital.
“The efforts of the members mentioned, as well as firefighters and responding (companies,) no doubt provided the patient with the best chance at survival and ensured that she made it to the hospital alive,” Kevin Wilhelm said. “Had it not been for the quick response of both fire and QRS resources by the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department prior to the arrival of transporting EMS resources, the outcome for the patient may have been vastly different.”
Upon arrival at the hospital, the woman was in critical condition with multiple lacerations, possible fractures and a dissected carotid artery, Kevin Wilhelm said. She was discharged from the hospital a week later and is looking at a full recovery, he said.
Firefighters from the Springdale department have received seven awards from the Allegheny County Volunteer Firefighters Association within the past 10 years, Kevin Wilhelm said. Those include Jim Bosman in 2014, Kris Bendinelli in 2016 and Tanner Michael and Zachary Wilhelm in 2022.
Sanders said he was humbled by the recognition.
“The outcome of the situation is just as good,” Sanders said.
