August 23, 2024

Many stories of camaraderie and community surfaced during the historic Ohio storm that occurred Aug. 6, but these heroic acts performed by four employees of The Illuminating Company take top honors for embodying bravery, integrity and courage under pressure.

Parma house fire rescue

Meter Workers Sean Groom and Rob Cecil, along with Distribution Technician Brian Green, were guardian angels in action when they stopped to help a citizen trapped in a serious house fire in Parma Heights, Ohio, on Aug. 9, near their storm duty routes.

Sean had just finished a morning job and was driving on Manorford Avenue when he smelled smoke and realized it was coming from a nearby house. He made an unexpected stop.

His coworker, Rob, was close behind in another vehicle and pulled over, too.

“I went to knock on the front door, when I heard a man calling out for help around back,” recalled Sean. “I ran to the backyard, jumped the fence and saw a man trying to escape out of a small, rear window of a split-level home.”

The home’s resident was hanging out of a slider window in obvious distress, with the fire getting worse by the minute. The man’s lips were already black from soot and smoke inhalation as he struggled to breathe. Even worse, he was stuck in place, unable to wriggle his way out.

As luck would have it, fellow CEI employee Brian Green was also on storm duty in the area at the same time – and had seen Sean spring into action. He came through the back gate with Rob Cecil to assist Sean, just in the nick of time. Though all three men are CEI employees, Brian works in a different group and had never met Sean or Rob before.

A snapshot of the scene at the Parma Heights house fire where Rob, Brian and Sean rescued a homeowner from grave danger.

The men teamed up, clearing the area below the window by moving patio furniture and other items out of the way to create space. Using their height and strength, Sean and Brian then pulled on the homeowner, struggling to remove him from the window opening’s tight squeeze.

“We worked really hard for several minutes before successfully pulling him out,” said Sean. “As we pulled, the wall of the house was moving more at times than the actual window was. The sliding glass would only open so far, presenting us with a big challenge.”

In the meantime, as the two pulled hard enough to fully release the resident, Rob anticipated the fall and lined up a wicker couch near the opening.

“The homeowner toppled out of that window like Winnie the Pooh from a honey tree,” said Rob, with a chuckle. “I grabbed him, turned him and put him down on the couch, so he had a nice soft landing.”

Simultaneously, a concerned neighbor appeared out of nowhere to break a patio window, saving the homeowner’s dog. Rob, Brian and Sean waited with the homeowner until the fire department arrived on scene. Upon their arrival, firefighters saved a second dog from the residence and administered oxygen to help the homeowner and his animals.

“If we hadn’t gotten there when we did, I don’t know if this man would’ve made it,” said Sean.

The man and his animals are safe and doing well after the harrowing incident, and our heroic employees received well-deserved accolades from the Parma police and fire departments, as well as the city’s mayor, local media and FirstEnergy leadership.

Westlake severe weather rescue

Meter reader, Chris Young, said he was in the right place at the right time when a historic storm on Aug. 6 moved through the area while he was outside on his work route in Westlake, Ohio. He had been watching the weather all day when it suddenly turned from rain to tornado reports. Chris recognized that he had to get somewhere safe immediately and he hopped in his car to find shelter.

Within moments he saw three panicked boys on their bikes. With heavy rain, wind and trees falling, he knew he had to get the boys to shelter. Being familiar with the area, Chris swiftly escorted them to one of the boys’ homes, where the father was in the garage anxiously trying to get ahold of his son. All five took shelter until the storm passed. It was a storm that Chris says he hadn’t seen before.

“I think it’s rare for this area to experience such widespread and devastating damage in such a short amount of time. Everyone I talked to was really caught off guard,” said Chris. “It was everything, everywhere. Whole trees were down in the road and on houses”

Chris said he is super thankful they were okay and is surprised more people weren’t hurt.