DETROIT – The annual Above and Beyond Awards will be held Thursday night, honoring Detroit’s police, fire and emergency responders -- including a firefighter who ran into a burning home in search of the homeowner who had made the wrong decision and was trapped.
About seven months ago, Jim Davenport was rescued from his home in Palmer Woods by Sergeant Joe Easterling. But, both men remember those critical moments like it was yesterday.
“While I was in there, I thought I knew everything to do, but of course, I panicked,” said Davenport.
At first, though, Davenport didn’t panic when he saw the flames. He was sweating a pipe in his basement when he quickly put out a hotspot.
Upstairs, his wife was on the phone with the fire department when she turned a corner and saw the room engulfed in flames.
“Fire jumped from the front of the house, from the library, which covered the front door. It jumped into the family room, which covered the back door,” Davenport said.
Moments later, Easterling and the rest of his crew were at the door.
“When I came up to the front door, I met his wife and asked if there was anyone else in the house because at that time, you know it’s actually occupied,” Easterling said.
“I ran from the front of the house to the back to try and get out, and once I realized I couldn’t get out, I sort of panicked,” said Davenport.
“I’d asked if anyone else was in the house,” said Easterling. “She was a little distraught, it took a couple of times to ask her, and then she said, ‘I think my husband is inside.’”
“It was really hot in there; it was like a blanket or something was around me, like the heat was smothering me,” Davenport said. “In a few seconds, I couldn’t see anything. So I ran back downstairs to my home office. Why I did that -- I don’t know.”
“When I started my search, I was going to start on the first floor, go to the second -- Next thing I heard was someone say, ‘Come up outta there. Come up, follow me!’ Of course, it was Sargeant Easterling,” he continued.
Davenport didn’t realize how much smoke was in his lungs, and as the two jumped through his broken-out window, he was struggling to get up.
I tried to get up and I fell again,” he said. “Next thing I knew, Sargeant Easterling had picked me up and was carrying me away from the house.”
“We’re doing our job and that’s all that matters,” Easterling said. “It’s nice to have a chance to talk to him and see he’s smiling and laughing.”
Just doing the job also means just getting well-deserved accolades.
Davenport suffered plenty of damage to the house, and well, maybe a little to his ego.
“Everybody is okay except for my wife -- she’s still upset at me,” he said.
“Does she let you do any DIY projects?” asked Easterling.
“No projects. No projects,” Davenport responded.
Easterling will be among 37 first responders being honored on Nov. 13 at the Above and Beyond Awards at Ford Field.