By Austin Williams
The Centralia City Council honored eight first responders and good Samaritans at the City Council meeting on Monday for their actions in saving the life of a man injured in a fire.
According to Fire Chief Jeffery Day’s letter of commendation, Lieutenant Jordan Parsan, Firefighter Carter Hulsey, Lieutenant Andrew Sneddon, and Firefighter Joshua Derick of the Centralia Fire Department arrived at a reported basement fire on December 4, 2023, and found a man lying face down in the backyard. Lieutenant Parson called for backup and also noticed two bystanders, nurses Layla Malone and Missy Zack, who volunteered to help. Under Parson’s advisement, Malone and Zack performed CPR while Firefighter Derick applied AED. While this went on, Lieutenant Sneddon and Firefighter Hulsey were extinguishing the fire in the basement. When the ambulance arrived, Paramedic Tim Moore and EMT Richie Campbell continued lifesaving treatment as the man was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital.
Mayor Bryan Kuder recognized each of the first responders and the two nurses with the Life Saving Commendation for their quick and effective response that saved the man’s life.
In ordinances, the council declared several pieces of real estate to surplus property and authorized the city manager to solicit bids for them. These properties include 127 S Locust, Dunbar Ln Lot 7, 9th addition Raccoon Lake, 1011 Hester, 615 N Hickory, 129 N Maple, and 135 N Maple. All of these properties will be advertised for one month. Forms for bidding on the properties are available in the city clerk’s office and online.
The council also approved amending the Centralia Municipal Code with rules and regulations concerning the Centralia Municipal Airport. The stated goal of this amendment is to ensure the maintenance and upkeep of the airport and mitigate the negative impact of transient airplane operators on the facility.
Finally, the council authorized the use of Raccoon Lake for boat races hosted by the National Boat Racing Association on August 24 and 25. The races were originally scheduled for the previous week, but the vote to authorize failed due to the dates conflicting with Balloon Fest. The vote at this meeting passed without issue. Raccoon Lake will be closed for testing on August 21 and 22. This will be the twentieth year that NBRA has hosted this event, the Nationals, at Raccoon Lake.
