A Hero Among Us; Volunteer Firefighter receives Red Cross Award

L-R – Sen.Tony Guglielmo (R-Stafford, Firefighter Hero Lt. Michael Lawrence of Woodstock Valley, and Christine Higgins of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield)

Farmington, CT – It was Senator Tony Guglielmo’s (R-Stafford) honor to present the 2011 Red Cross Firefighter Hero award to Lt. Michael Lawrence of Woodstock Valley.

Lt. Lawrence shares the ideals of the American Red Cross – placing service to others before their own interests and, in some cases, their own safety.

Michael Lawrence, a field manager for a Massachusetts building company, also is a volunteer firefighter with the Bungay Fire Brigade in Woodstock Valley, Connecticut.

On November 23, 2010 while traveling on I-84 noticed traffic backing up. A minivan had just crashed into a concrete median barrier and burst into flames.

Lt. Lawrence immediately pulled over and jumped out of his pick-up truck. He grabbed his three-pound fire extinguisher and ran towards the van. He heard a woman screaming “someone’s in there!” When he reached the van, he saw an unconscious man trapped in the driver’s seat. Lt. Lawrence smashed the passenger side window with the extinguisher, reached in and unlocked the door.

Lt. Lawrence sprayed the driver to push the flames down. Lt. Lawrence then handed off the extinguisher to a bystander. Lt. Lawrence climbed in the van and used a knife to cut the seatbelt. Then Lt. Lawrence and the bystander pulled the man from the vehicle.

With in a matter of 60-seconds the van was engulfed in flames. Emergency personnel arrived, put the fire out and took the man to the hospital.

Because of Lt. Lawrence’s swift actions as an off-duty firefighter, the man, Randall Baker, survived. “I don’t consider myself a hero. I do what I’m trained to do,” said Lt. Lawrence.

Senator Guglielmo was humbled to present the award.

Senator Guglielmo said, “Lt. Lawrence had no safety gear, no protective suit. But he ran toward the danger anyway. His quick thinking and his compassion made a lifesaving difference in a dangerous situation.”

The event was held in Farmington at the Marriott on March 16.