GNN often reports on lifesaving rescues by firemen, risking life and lung to pull people from burning buildings, but these two are not firemen, and are a different sort of hero.
They’re heroes, no doubt, but by trade they haul trash. Nonetheless, while working in Tipton, England, on Tuesday morning, they saw fires ripping through a small brick townhome, and rescued a man, woman, and their dog.
Steve Whitehouse and Kevin Marriott work for Serco garbage collection, and it was Whitehouse who first jumped into action.
“I saw a young woman screaming from the balcony and all I could think was that I needed to get to her as quickly as possible,” Whitehouse told the BBC.
Whitehouse climbed up to a first-floor balcony three times to rescue the trio from the flames. He first carried the woman down, but when he turned back to help the young man, he found he was shouting to his dog, still inside. Bundling the dog in a blanket, Whitehouse climbed down and told the owner throw the dog to him. After catching him, the garbageman returned up to the balcony to help the man.
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Meanwhile Whitehouse’ partner Marriott went door to door shouting for people to get clear of the connected townhomes.
Both the man and the dog were suffering from smoke inhalation when 19 firefighters arrived from West Midlands Fire and Rescue. The dog was treated on site while the man was rushed to the hospital.
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“I have no doubt that without Steve’s incredible bravery the outcome could have been very different,” said senior firefighter Chris Green. “I have no idea how he managed to do what he did. It was heroic. The fire and smoke were coming out of the property’s rear door like a blow torch.”
According to the BBC, the two garbagemen debriefed and recovered over a cup of coffee, and went right back out to finish their collection rounds.
Not all heroes wear capes, some of them wear, well, whatever garbagemen wear.
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