Our feel-good story for today features three firemen who went above and beyond the call of duty to help a disabled vet in need.
One hot day in Missouri, the Raytown Fire Protection District received a call about an elderly man in an electric wheelchair who got stuck on the road. The unnamed man – who was also a veteran – was on his way to a local fish pond when he drove off the concrete road and onto the soft ground.
The tried to get it off the ground but to no avail. As he had been trying to get himself out for a long time, the wheelchair’s power was ultimately exhausted. The people nearby tried to help him but they were unable to lift his chair, so they called the fire department for help.
Deputy Chief Mike Hunley told the Kansas City Star:
“Our guys responded out there and basically lifted a wheelchair with him in it up out of the rut he was stuck in. He apparently had been trying to get himself out with the wheelchair and had expended the battery so it was pretty drained.”
When they got to the scene, three firemen immediately retrieved the wheelchair from the soft ground and successfully got it out. Since the wheelchair’s power is already critically low, the firemen had to push the veteran going home. They set the chair on neutral mode and began pushing under the 80 F heat.
“We encourage our guys to find the best way to make a difference when they are out in the field,” Hunley told the newspaper. “We are happy to see our guys help people, because that’s what we do for a living.”
Another firefighter drove the pumper behind to protect them on the way to the man’s house. After about 30 minutes and 7 blocks, they finally reached their destination.
There was still a bit of battery charge left, and the disabled vet was able to get up the ramp and back inside his home to charge his wheelchair. According to Hunley, the man didn’t offer much information about himself, but he was grateful to the firemen who helped him.
The department posted a video of the firemen pushing the elderly man’s wheelchair, and it garnered a lot of positive comments from the people who saw it.
They wrote:
“What happens when a Fire Truck comes upon a citizen who’s electric wheelchair has stopped working. You get out and help them home.”
As of writing, the 55-second clip got 2,000 shares and has been viewed over 188,000 times.
Hunley said the firemen were surprised by the attention that the video received, but he admitted that the situation was “unique” compared to the usual type of calls that they get.
“Most people call the fire department when they’re not sure who else to call, but this one was a little unique. Helping people is a gratifying job,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle.
See the firemen in action in the clip below.
Kudos to these firefighters for braving the heat and helping the elderly veteran get home!
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