Grissom Airman faces fire, saves dog Published Oct. 11, 2011 By Senior Airman Jami K. Lancette 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- When an explosion happens most people run the opposite direction, but one Grissom Airman ran straight toward it. On July 17, a quiet Sunday night, Tech. Sgt. Damon Spradlin, 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron bioenvironmental engineering craftsman, said he was home when he heard a loud explosion nearby. Knowing that something was seriously wrong, Spradlin said he went outside, saw a large plume of smoke and asked his friend to call 911 before springing into action. "Everyone was standing around the neighborhood gawking at the burning house," Spradlin explained. "I've never been one to stand around and gawk during an emergency, so I ran to where the smoke was." As Spradlin ran toward the home to make sure no one was trapped inside, a friend of the trailer's owner rushed out. "As the friend ran out of the house I asked him if there was anyone inside, and he wouldn't answer me," Spradlin recalled. "So I ran in to look for myself." As he looked around inside the home, he saw the owner throwing buckets of water on the fire. "I asked him what happened, and the guy told me not to worry about it," he said. "Eventually the guy told me if I wanted to help (I should) grab something to start throwing water." While Spradlin was working tirelessly to extinguish the fire, he heard police and fire truck sirens in the background. At that time the owner ran, leaving Spradlin behind to fight the fire himself. "Yeah I was scared, I could actually see the fire coming out of the walls," Spradlin said. After 5-10 minutes of fighting the fire, Spradlin decided to leave for his own safety. Taking one last look around to make sure there was no one left behind, Spradlin noticed a dog curled up on the kitchen floor. "I quickly scooped up the dog and ran out of the burning trailer," he said. By the time he got outside Spradlin said he noticed the Grissom Fire Department was there as well as the Indiana State Police. Although his heroic efforts saved a life, it did take its toll on the bioenvironmental engineer. "I had a lot of smoke inhalation and had to spend hours in the emergency room being treated," said Spradlin. Despite this, his ability to face danger and having a 'leave no one behind mentality', gave him the courage to save a life. Grissom is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing, the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Twitter and Facebook.
