WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) — They extinguished massive fires, de-escalated deadly situations and faced down a once-in-a-generation storm…all in 2022.
Today’s Wheeling Public Safety Ceremony let first responders know that their daily heroism will never go unappreciated.
The fire and police departments and their families packed into the WesBanco Arena lobby this afternoon.
They heard stories of quick thinking in the most stress-filled situations, and of taking charge when justice demanded it.
Fire Captain Bob Heldreth recalled just one of the acts of bravery during an all-hands-on-deck emergency.
We had been using a walkway between the buildings throughout the night. Through darkness and driving rain, I misjudged the location of the walkway, stepping out into thin air two stories above the ground…almost immediately, firefighters Andrew Furbee and Joshua Dent grabbed onto my air pack and reassured me that they would not let me fall. Seconds later, engineers Thomas Ames and Robert Waldron joined in, pulling me back to the roof and to safety.
Captain Bob Heldreth, Wheeling Fire Department
Family members were given pins to place on the lapels of new hires and promotions.
Cpl. Ryan Moore was 2022’s Officer of the Year, while Trevor Adkins was named Firefighter of the Year.
