By FireRescue1 Staff
DALLAS — Engineer Manny Sharp of the Medford (Oregon) Fire Department was announced the winner of the 2024 Ben Franklin Award for Valor at the IAFC’s Fire-Rescue International conference in Dallas, in partnership with Motorola Solutions.
The award recognizes exceptional acts of heroism by firefighters, who must be nominated by their chief for the lifesaving actions taken during an incident.
Sharp was honored for his efforts that led to the rescue of three people at a house fire on Aug. 15, 2023. When Medford County Dispatch received a call alerting them to a house fire on his street, Sharp, who was off duty at the time, went to the scene, where he observed the need for immediate action.
Dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, Sharp kicked in the front door of the house and entered the building. Inside, he found two teenagers asleep on a sofa in the living room. After attempting to wake the teens, Sharp pulled them off the couch and guided them out of the house.
Once outside the home, the teens’ mother arrived and informed Sharp that another child was still inside the house. Sharp, still in civilian clothes, re-entered the building, located the third victim, wrapped them in a curtain, and passed them through a broken window to safety before exiting the house himself.
After rescuing the three individuals, Sharp cleared vehicles from in front of the house, allowing arriving firefighters from Grants Pass to set up their equipment.
“Motorola Solutions is honored to sponsor the prestigious 2024 Ben Franklin Award for Valor,” said Frank Galvin, vice president of Central U.S. and Canada for Motorola Solutions. “The actions taken by firefighters in protecting those they serve are noteworthy, and we are privileged to be a part of this recognition.”
