Two Port Huron Police Officers are sharing the Police Officer of the Year Award. Sergeant Patrick Eash and Lieutenant Jason Barna were recognized at the 2021 Police Officers Association of Michigan Awards Ceremony in Grand Rapids last week.
Eash and Barna are credited with saving the life of a man trapped in a burning building. The man would have surely perished had the officers not taken extreme action.
The incident occurred in February of this year when Sergeant Eash saw smoke. He worked with Central Dispatch to find the fire and when he got there was told that there was a trapped resident inside the multi-family home on Stone Street.
Lieutenant Barna arrived on the scene and the officers were eventually able to kick in the door. They encountered heavy smoke and intense heat but persisted in searching for the man. They found him laying on the floor unconscious and risked their lives to drag him out by his feet.
The man was barely holding on to life after inhaling so much smoke. After the officers performed life-saving measures, the man was finally able to breathe on his own. He was taken to the hospital and a full recovery was expected.
Congratulations to Sergeant Patrick Eash and Lieutenant Jason Barna on their well-deserved award.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
