Usually, police officers get lauded when they save a life.
Beecher officer Ryan Drew received plaudits at the December 13 village board meeting for bravery, even though he didn’t save any lives.
Drew received a commendation for his actions during a house fire on December 12 in the 1200 block of Dixie Highway, as he risked his life and health searching through a burning house only to find out no one was home. He knew that it was the home of 93-year-old Ann Loitz and took action.
“The fact that no one was in the home does not diminish your brave actions,” Beecher Police Chief Terrence Lemming read from the commendation.
The chief explained what happened on that day, noting, “Ryan was the first one there, and he knew from past experience that an older woman lives there by herself. He frantically went knocking on the door, and no one answered.”
Lemming said Drew tried forcible entry to try to locate the woman.
“We saw him (on the bodycam) kicking and kicking and kicking,” the chief said. “So, he got in, and he searched the whole house, which had smoke all around.
“He exited the house, suffering from smoke inhalation.”
Drew fell ill and was treated at the site. But his day was not done.
“To show what a trooper he is, he came right out and helped direct traffic,” Lemming said. “We really needed him, because we had two officers on the street, and I was there, too.
“We had to direct traffic on both sides. And you don’t want people running over the fire hoses. He went out and directed traffic, as sick as he was, so I give him a lot of credit.”
Lemming credited Beecher Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti for alerting him to Drew’s actions.
“We wouldn’t have known about it, because Ryan is a modest guy,” Lemming said.
More than 38 firefighters from various agencies assisted with putting out the fire.
Beecher bits
•The December 12 fire brought out some problems with fire hydrants in the village, and the Public Works and Public Safety Committees have tag-teamed to review the positioning of some of the older hydrants.
•The board approved a three-year renewal with Flock Safety not to exceed $32,500 for license plate recognition equipment.
•George Athanasopoulos was appointed to the Fourth of July Commission.
The post Beecher Commends Brave Officer appeared first on Southwest Regional Publishing.