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Sydney honors volunteer Chief Matt Butts with statewide lifesaving award
Summary
Chief Matt Butts of the Sydney Volunteer Fire Department received the Save Award at the Jan. 13 council meeting after performing the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge an obstruction and save a choking resident on Nov. 21; the council and community praised the department’s preparedness and mutual-aid cooperation.
City of Sydney — The City Council recognized Chief Matt Butts of the Sydney Volunteer Fire Department at its Jan. 13 meeting after Mark Onstadt presented the state’s Save Award for Butts’s actions on Nov. 21.
According to remarks at the meeting, Chief Butts arrived first on a choking incident, performed the Heimlich maneuver after the family’s attempts were unsuccessful and dislodged the obstruction; the patient was transported to the local hospital for evaluation and recovery. Onstadt said the award is the highest given for saving another person and praised the city’s volunteer firefighting force for training and mutual aid.
"First, I'm honored to receive this recognition, and I appreciate Mark Onstadt for the work that he did to get it out there and known," Butts said in brief remarks, emphasizing the teamwork among dispatch, EMS, law enforcement and surrounding fire departments.
Council members thanked Butts and urged residents to consider volunteering with the fire department. No formal action was required; the presentation was a ceremonial recognition of lifesaving service.
