Two Clay County Sheriff’s Deputies have been presented with Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Life-Saving Awards.
The awards are the result of their actions on March 13th where they were able to rescue a man who was trapped by a vehicle fire.
“Deputies Luke Durre and Trevin Smith put themselves in harm’s way to save the life of a fellow citizen who otherwise would almost certainly have perished in the flames,” said Illinois FOP State Lodge President Chris Southwood. “Their actions embody the true meaning of the police motto, ‘to protect and serve.’”
The FOP provided further details on what happened that afternoon:
“On the afternoon of March 13, Clay County Sheriff’s Deputy Luke Durre was on patrol in an area just southeast of Louisville when he found a smoking vehicle stuck in a ditch with an elderly man inside. Deputy Trevin Smith arrived soon after Durre, and without hesitation, the two men jumped into action. They were able to turn the car off and pull the driver out of the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames. The deputies’ actions that day undoubtedly saved the 78-year-old driver’s life.”
The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States.
