Sheriff's officers receive awards for heroism after Good Friday Tornado on The Murfreesboro Post

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Sheriff's officers receive awards for heroism after Good Friday Tornado

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By: LISA MARCHESONI, Senior Writer

Posted: Sunday, July 26, 2009 7:53 am

Sheriff's officers receive awards for heroism after Good Friday Tornado | Tornado, Rutherford County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Truman Jones presents Lifesaving Awards to Deputy Jack Keisling and Detectives Jason Mathis and Steve Brown for actions during the Good Friday tornadoes.

Two sheriff’s officers crawled through massive piles of debris to rescue a trapped father and daughter while another officer guided 10 people into a safe area when the Good Friday tornadoes hit April 10.

Deputy Jack Keisling of the Fugitive Apprehension Team and Detective Steve Brown teamed up to rescue Doug Renfroe and his daughter, Stephanie, from the destruction of their Compton Road home.

Detective Jason Mathis directed people from two different offices into a storage room just moments before the tornado destroyed the building, except for the storage room.

Because of their efforts, Sheriff Truman Jones awarded them the Life Saving Commendation during a ceremony.

During the tornado, a paramedic told Keisling and Brown about the father and daughter trapped in their home. They contacted Renfroe who was trapped behind a bathroom double sink vanity.

“Cutting plumbing lines, Deputy Keisling and Detective Brown managed to push the sinks out of the vanity, break the vanity and pull it away in order to free Mr. Renfroe,” Jones said. “Detective Brown assisted Mr. Renfroe safely from the dangerous debris.”

They next used a small bottle jack to lift heavy debris away from the daughter who was also trapped.

“Shifts in the materials or plans made in haste could have resulted in death or serious injury to Mr. Renfroe and his daughter,” Jones said. “Deputy Keisling and Detective Brown recognized the urgency, worked together and affected a safe recovery of both family members while maintaining a sense of security for the victims.”

In spite of obvious dangers to themselves, the officers responded to their obligation and duty.

Mathis and his wife, Cindy, were at WR Starkey Mortgage on Thompson Lane just before the tornado struck.

“Recognizing the dangers, Detective Mathis took immediate action, taking control of 10 people from two different office areas, identifying the safest area within the structure and placing them in a storage room/closet for their protection,” the sheriff said.

The tornado destroyed the building, except for the storage room.

After the tornado, Mathis kept everyone calm and helped them from the collapsed building. He coordinated with emergency responders to search for survivors and calm adults with children who barely escaped the tornado.

Dave Gober of WR Starkey Mortgage credited Mathis with saving his life and everyone else in the building. He didn’t believe he would have survived without Mathis’ help.

“Detective Mathis was aware of the responsibility and obligation to take action in an emergency,” Jones said. “He maintained his professionalism in spite of obvious dangers to himself and his wife. He assessed the situation before and after the tornado touchdown, never losing sight of his duty and obligation to protect citizens and affect the safe recovery of all victims in the office complex.”

Besides the Life Saving commendation, Jones also gave Mathis the Meritorious Service Award for taking actions of great responsibility and excellence, distinguishing himself from ordinary duty requirements.

Lisa Marchesoni may be reached at 869-0814 or lmarchesoni@murfreesboropost.com.

Tagged under Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, Tornado

Member Opinions:

By: diddlede on 7/26/09
So well deserved and congratulations to these officers. Our thanks goes out to many others that were involved in helping others after the tornado. We have a great Sheriff Department, City Police Department, Emergency crew and Fire Department.