Perry Council honors nine life-saving firefighters

On Tuesday, February 16, the Perry Council held its second biweekly meeting of the month. It was also the first public meeting the council had held since January. Through the last half of January and the first half of February, the council abstained from holding public meetings in order to maintain a level of COVID-19 prevention after the post-holiday spike. As the numbers declined, the council decided it was safe to reconvene.

The meeting opened with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and then directly into honoring the firefighters who saved a life with their immediate action on Thursday, December 7, after a victim was shot in the Perry Police Department’s parking lot.

After Shantoria M. Taylor was shot in the leg by her ex-boyfriend, the Perry Fire Department jumped into immediate life-saving action, getting Taylor onto a stretcher, and then upon its arrival, into the ambulance, where EMTs were able to take her to a hospital. Not long after he fled the scene, Perry police arrested Taylor’s attacker, Darryl Smith, when he was found at Wes Park Family Dentistry.

Those quick thoughts and actions are the reasons Perry Council honored these officers. Battalion Chief Charles Mundy, Captain Kenneth Genthner, Lieutenant Gerald Michel, Sergeant Brian Banks, Sergeant Jonathan Yoder, as well as Firefighters Kyle Newsome, Nadad Jeanjulien, Jeremy Douglas and Keion Johnson, all received mayoral recognition, as well as appreciative thanks from the council on Tuesday.

“Gentlemen, I really wanted to thank you for coming this evening for us, and for the opportunity to recognize each one of you for the outstanding service you provided on a morning several weeks ago,” Mayor Randall Walker said, addressing the fire crew. “Chief Lynn has recommended that we acknowledge you for a Life Saving Award. My understanding in what occurred is that we had a very unfortunate incident happen in our police parking lot, where we had a domestic dispute, and a young lady was shot. We’ve been made aware that she would not have survived, had it not been for your quick actions and the medical things you did that morning to save that person’s life.”

The firefighters received a round of applause, and Police Chief Steve Lynn and Fire Chief Lee Parker both thanked the mayor and council for their recognition.

“It’s obvious that we have a very well trained department. They know exactly what they need to do when they roll up on a situation,” Walker added. “We cannot thank you enough for that. Congratulations, and we’re proud to have you on our force; each and every one of you.”

After a quick photo, the firefighters and their families left the building, and the meeting continued. The remainder, however, was brief.

The council quickly worked through various first and second readings of code amendments, and passed many bids for new city vehicles, with the exception of the new police vehicles, which they denied. Shortly after, the council made and passed a motion to adjourn.

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