Being brave doesn’t mean you’re not afraid; it means you take action even when you’re terrified.
Officer Tony Becker of the Port Washington Police Department in Wisconsin was out on patrol one evening when he heard “popping and crackling” noises coming from a neighborhood of condos near the station. When a fireball erupted, he dashed toward the danger without hesitation.
Becker arrived just in time to see thick, black smoke pouring out of a garage. According to a Facebook post by the police department, the woman who lived there met the officer outside and told him that her husband, a 79-year-old man, was still in the house.
The cop’s dramatic body cam footage tells the rest of the story. Becker bolts into the smoke-filled garage in search of the trapped man.
“Black smoke was undulating from the garage as Officer Becker entered and made his way to a doorway leading into the residence,” the police report stated. “The residence was filling with smoke, and the officer could feel intense heat coming from inside.”
Inside the dark garage, Becker located the man inside the home and urged him to crawl on the floor toward the sound of his voice. Once they got close enough to each other, he grabbed the man’s hand and pulled him out of the house into the garage.
From there, Becker helped the stranger out of the structure and into the fresh air, where his friends and family members were anxiously waiting.
Barbara Patterson lives next door to the family. She told the local news that there was no way her neighbor would have survived the intense flames if Becker hadn’t been in the right place at the right time.
“Without a doubt. … I hate to say this but if [Officer Becker] hadn’t done this he would have been dead,” she said. “The smoke was so thick that [it] alone would have been catastrophic.”
Upon investigation, they realized the fire was caused by a lit propane grill that had ignited nearby tanks. Fortunately, the family has fully recovered from their brush with death. As for Becker? He was treated for smoke inhalation and returned to work the rest of his shift that very night!
Becker didn’t stop to think about being brave that day; it just came naturally. When push comes to shove, having a hero like this in your neighborhood could very well save your life!
Check out the daring rescue in the video below, and share this story to thank Becker for risking his life to save a family in need.
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