San Angelo honors firefighters and civilian rescuers after swift-water rescue

City officials recognized firefighters and civilian partners for their roles in a Sept. 3 Swiftwater rescue on Willow Creek during the council’s Oct. 15 meeting.

Fire Chief Patrick Brody told the council that Rescue 1 responded to a low-water crossing where three adults and one child were stranded in a tree amid rapidly rising water. Brody credited quick action by the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Public Safety and described how firefighters established a high line and evacuated the victims as water rose from about 10 feet to an additional 2–3 feet during the operation.

Brody named Lieutenant Chad Graves, Engineer Buddy Lemons and Firefighter Doug Taylor as Rescue 1 crew members. Lemons described the operation and said crews made roughly 10–12 trips on the high line, at one point carrying a 3-year-old child on his chest to safety. “That was the one that really had me worried,” Lemons said.

The city presented the San Angelo Fire Department’s Medal of Honor to Graves, Lemons and Taylor for conspicuous heroism, and issued a Citizen Service Award to Quail Valley Volunteer Fire Department personnel — including Chief Shane (name spelling varies in the transcript), Cody Lambert and Jeremy Williams — who assisted in pulling an ambulance and rescuing stranded medics.

Chief Brody thanked partner agencies including Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas A&M Forest Service, the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office and Quail Valley Volunteer Fire Department, and showed video of the rescue to the council.