Council honors neighbor who pulled two people from house fire

The Sacramento City Council on Jan. 21 presented a resolution honoring neighborhood resident Robert Longer after he rescued two people from a structure fire on Nov. 26, 2024, Deputy Chief Mike Taylor said.

Council members said the recognition acknowledges a civilian who put himself at risk while firefighters were en route. The council presented a resolution and a token of appreciation from the Sacramento Fire Department.

Deputy Chief Mike Taylor of the Sacramento Fire Department told the council that crews responded about 3 p.m. to a house fire on the 32100 block of Normington Drive and were told two adults with possible mobility issues were inside. Taylor said Longer had already assisted a male victim out of the house and then made multiple entries to remove a female victim, using the house’s doormat to shield himself from intense heat.

“Robert single handedly saved both victims while putting himself in harm’s way,” Deputy Chief Mike Taylor said. “Without the aid of Robert, things would have turned out a lot worse for sure.”

A person identified in the meeting as Mr. Phillips, who said his wife remains in the burn unit at UC Davis Medical Center, told the council, “If it hadn't been for Robert, my wife would have been there. She still got a long road to go. She's in the burn unit at UCD, but thanks to this guy here, she'll be able to come home someday.”

Longer, who spoke from the lectern, told the council he did not seek recognition: “I did what I needed to do for my neighbor,” he said. He described running across the street “in my slippers,” making repeated entries and using a doormat to cover his head when necessary.

Vice Mayor Talamantes introduced the item and the council collectively presented a framed resolution and a Sacramento Fire Department token to Longer.

The resolution presentation was ceremonial and no formal council vote on the resolution was recorded in the meeting minutes beyond its presentation.

Provenance: Topic intro excerpt: "November 26, 2024, around 3 PM, the Sacramento Fire Department responded to a report of structure fire at 32100 Block of, Normington Drive." (transcript block t183.905-201.61) Topic finish excerpt: "we're gonna go down there present you with a resolution, ross Robert." (transcript block t475.79-485.74)

Speakers: [{"name":"Vice Mayor Talamantes","role_title":"Vice Mayor","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"City of Sacramento","first_reference":{"timecode":"128.705","transcript_line_range":[1,1]}},{"name":"Deputy Chief Mike Taylor","role_title":"Deputy Chief, Sacramento Fire Department","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Sacramento Fire Department","first_reference":{"timecode":"137.425","transcript_line_range":[1,1]}},{"name":"Robert Longer","role_title":"Resident","affiliation_type":"citizen","affiliation_name":"not specified","first_reference":{"timecode":"183.905","transcript_line_range":[1,1]}},{"name":"Mr. Phillips","role_title":"Neighbor/Family member of victim","affiliation_type":"citizen","affiliation_name":"not specified","first_reference":{"timecode":"321.845","transcript_line_range":[1,1]}},{"name":"Mayor McCarty","role_title":"Mayor","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"City of Sacramento","first_reference":{"timecode":"453.135","transcript_line_range":[1,1]}},{"name":"Council member Maple","role_title":"Council member","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"City of Sacramento","first_reference":{"timecode":"28.044998","transcript_line_range":[1,1]}}]

Authorities: [{"type":"other","name":"Sacramento Fire Department internal report (incident Nov. 26, 2024)","referenced_by":["body"]}]

Actions: []

Clarifying details: [{"category":"incident_date","detail":"date of fire","value":"2024-11-26","units":"date","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Deputy Chief Mike Taylor"},{"category":"incident_time","detail":"approximate time of call/response","value":"15:00","units":"local time","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Deputy Chief Mike Taylor"},{"category":"location","detail":"street block","value":"32100 block of Normington Drive","units":"address_block","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Deputy Chief Mike Taylor"},{"category":"casualties","detail":"number of people rescued by Longer","value":2,"units":"count","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Deputy Chief Mike Taylor"},{"category":"medical_status","detail":"female victim location","value":"UC Davis burn unit","units":"facility","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Mr. Phillips"}]

Community relevance:{"geographies":["Normington Drive block","Sacramento"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["neighbors","residents with mobility issues"]},"searchable_tags":["fire","rescue","Sacramento Fire Department","heroism","Normington Drive"]}