GREENSBURG, IN — The Greensburg Fire Department held a Recognition Ceremony at City Hall Wednesday evening.
A Lifesaving Award was presented to Firefighter Anthony Bruce, who performed CPR on Honda employee Cathy Jordan during a cardiac event at the plant on May 24, 2021 – just two weeks before she was set to retire.
Bruce says he was just doing his job.
“To see a positive outcome, in which you can actually go out on a call and help someone, in this instance, it’s a big help. Usually, it’s something small,” Bruce said. “The award is nice, but the biggest thing is to see your patient there, and actually talking to them and getting a hug from them…that’s the biggest award, the biggest satisfaction any firefighter can have is to know that you made a difference to that scale.”
Also receiving Lifesaving Awards were Assistant Chief Curtis Lewis, Captain Dave Eckstein, and Firefighter Cory Fischer, who arrived at a home on a report of an unconscious man during a cardiac event on February 3 this year.
James Mills II’s daughter-in-law, Tausha Mills, started lifesaving measures before the three firefighters arrived.
“My mother-in-law made the call to me and told me that something was wrong and we live right down the road, so I rushed there and just pulled him out of the chair and started CPR,” Tausha Mills said. “It was nothing I wanted to do but something I had to do.”
Because of her successful efforts, Mills received the Civilian Lifesaving Award.
“I was not expecting this at all and, if anything, just learn CPR. It’s very important,” Mills added.
The inaugural Firefighter of the Year Award went to Donnathon Buckley.
He’s a fourth-generation firefighter who is in his 2nd year with the department and serves on several committees.
“To be nominated as one as one of them, just to be in their group, is high class, let alone they think you’re Firefighter of the Year which, you’re just here to do your job on a daily basis,” Buckley said. “Getting rewarded for doing your job seems minimal but it is a nice thing to have these guys, the guys you looked up to as a kid and wanted to be a firefighter, and have the firefighters think you’re that (Firefighter of the Year) is awesome.”
Buckley says there’s a bit of irony that comes with the award.
“I’m on the (nominating) committee so to think that I picked out my own plaque which, I’m going to get a bunch of crap for that around the station for being the guy who picked out his own Firefighter of the Year Award, so we’ll see how that works out around the station.”
Also recognized, honored, or promoted at Wednesday night’s ceremony:
- Retired firefighters Rick Emsweller and Bob Brown were both recognized for 30-plus years each with the Greensburg Fire Department.
- New hires Jordan Bondurant and Josh Hengesbach, both of whom are Probationary Firefighters, were recognized.
- Cory Fischer was promoted to Firefighter 1st Class.
- Recently retired firefighter Brad Tressler was recognized for 23 years of service to the Greensburg Fire Department.
- Curtis Lewis was promoted to Assistant Chief/Operations.
- Troy Harmon was promoted to Captain/Day Shift.
- Jarrod Prentice was promoted to Lieutenant/Day Shift.
