Presented the department’s Lifesaving Award were SHAES paid-on-call Firefighter/EMT Paramedic Johanna Quinn and Allegan County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Gage.

The two responded on June 18 to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of 109th Avenue and 66th Street in Casco Township. One of the drivers was trapped in a vehicle as it caught fire.

Deputy Gage, a sheriff deputy for less than a year, was in the area and the first emergency responder to arrive on the scene. He tried to control the fire with an extinguisher and began the rescue of the trapped driver as the vehicle burned. Quinn, a SHAES responder for seven years, drove to the scene from her home. Together, the two were able to extricate the driver who was taken to a hospital for treatment.

“Quinn and Gage put themselves at risk, overcoming the smoke, heat and inherent danger to remove the patient from the burning vehicle and then rendered first aid until SHAES units arrived,” said SHAES Chief Brandon Hinz.