Latest news with #SmilesBehindtheShield
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'We were able to give her another chance:' Bay Minette firefighters hailed as heroes after swift house fire rescue
BAY MINETTE, Ala. (WKRG) — Ashes and damaged furniture are mostly what's left inside one Bay Minette home after it caught fire earlier last month, but before the flames were out, a woman and her dog were trapped inside. Termite season is among us, Gulf Coast — here's how to get rid of them 'We arrived on scene within a couple of minutes,' Captain Hunter Smith with Bay Minette Fire said. 'I got to give credit to these guys here Lt. Dakota and firefighter Roger. They went inside and from the time we went on scene till' the time they pulled her out, it was under four minutes and that's a great time especially with only four guys.' Those four heroes, Captain Hunter Smith, Lieutenant Dakota Melech, Kaden Collins and Roger Collier are this month's Smiles Behind the Shield award winners. Thanks to them, the victim was taken to the hospital just in time and the firefighters tell us she and her dog are doing much better. 'Because of their hard work and their commitment she was able to pull through,' Smith said. The person who nominated these firefighters was the fire chief from Robertsdale Fire Department, Nicholas Moore. His nomination read in part 'their actions on that day saved a life and exemplified what it means to serve with purpose.' 'With us being a small department, you don't see that very often,' Bay Minette Fire Chief Mike Minchew said. 'They did everything perfect, got out, got inside, found her, got her out, it's great, it's awesome.' 'For the turnout that we got, we were able to give her another chance, it was really extraordinary,' Smith said. The families of these lifesavers showed up to surprise these guys with their award and to show them how much they are appreciated. Todd and Julie Chrisley have been released from federal prison Congratulations and a job well done. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Daphne firefighters rescue families by boat during severe flooding, receive Smiles Behind the Shield Award
DAPHNE, Ala. (WKRG) — It's been more than two weeks since major flooding shut down roads in Baldwin County after heavy rain made its way to the Gulf Coast. Mobile County Sheriff's Office K-9 and sergeant educate students on internet safety, receive Smiles Behind the Shield Award A video shows three Daphne firefighters navigating a rescue boat through Spanish Fort neighborhoods during the flash flooding that trapped people in their homes earlier this month. 'We were able to get in contact with the family,' Capt. Joseph Staska said. 'It was two adults and a child, and then later on, we ended up coming in contact with a couple more individuals as well.' In all, 11 people and a dog were rescued on the Eastern Shore that night. Helping out surrounding agencies is something Daphne Fire is used to doing. 'They know what kind of materials we have, training we have, and sometimes they need us to supplement their training and expertise,' Staska said. 'So they come to us, we go to them.' Our Smiles Behind the Shield winners, Capt. Joseph Staska, engineers Grant Everhart and Tyler Harrison said the rescue boat is a fairly new piece of equipment for their department, a vital tool to help save lives on the Eastern Shore. 'It just started about three years ago, so we're learning and as we learn; we go out, and we go like to our neighboring departments,' Everhart said. 'We were called at Robertsville the other day. We provide that service. So if you have a water emergency, whether it be flood or you're in a boat accident or anything, you call and we're going to come.' 'It's awesome to be able to serve the citizens of Daphne and help them any way we can,' Harrison said. got a closer look at their fully loaded boat. 'It's a 15-foot Inmar. It's an inflatable with a rigged bottom,' Everhart said as he showed us around. It may look small, but it fits 10 people. 'We utilize this in flood water situations because we can actually take it off the trailer by hand and then we can launch it in rougher water on the causeway,' Everhart said. 'Most of the time we go out there it seems to be when it's bad weather, so this boat can take on water then drain through the hole called scuppers, so that allows us not to sink.' There's a black bag at the front of the boat that holds things like life jackets, helmets, headlamps and binoculars with an EMS bag and oxygen tank attached to it. 'It's proved worthy,' Daphne Fire Chief LeAnn Tacon said. 'We had situations where there were people needing to be rescued out on the water, and we couldn't get to them, so that's when we went to the mayor and council and said, you know, can we get a boat? And it's worked well. I mean, we've used it quite a few times.' Since March 2022, 23 people and three dogs have been rescued. Twin brothers with Prichard Fire-Rescue win over Girl Scout troop 'I'm proud of these guys, they take it seriously and train a lot with it,' Chief Tacon said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Mobile County Sheriff's Office K-9 and sergeant educate students on internet safety, receive Smiles Behind the Shield Award
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A K-9 with the Mobile County Sheriff's Office and her handler have a unique approach to fighting internet crimes against children. K-9 Estie and Sgt. Laura Grantham make up the dynamic duo. Although Estie may be a sweet, four-legged law enforcement officer known for giving out free hugs, don't let her fool you; she's got a serious job to do. Twin brothers with Prichard Fire-Rescue win over Girl Scout troop Estie helps the Sheriff's Office track down hidden electronic storage devices that suspects try to keep out of sight. 'She finds flash drives, hard drives and SD cards,' Grantham said. 'We work mainly internet crimes against children cases.' It's continuous training that prepares Estie and Grantham for these kinds of cases. '365 days a year we train,' Grantham said. 'She gets a handful of kibble for every device she finds three cups a day,' Grantham said. 'And we're not doing search warrants every day and she's not able to eat that way so we find different places to play hide and seek.' When the two of them are not working a case, they spend their time at schools in Mobile County educating students on the do's and don'ts of the internet. 'What we try to do is try to get those conversations about being safe online and the importance of being safe online and the dangers that children can face because they're online, younger and younger,' Grantham said. 'Estie is also cross-trained as a comfort dog for child abuse victims. She's a distressing dog for first responders and anybody who really wants to be around her; she's literally like a weighted blanket.' Estie has her own collection of books, games and other goodies to keep students engaged in the important lesson. Now, surprising a first responder for our Smiles Behind the Shield segment isn't always easy, but one way to do it is by setting up a fake interview — which is what we did. 'Surprise and congratulations,' the crowd said. 'Oh my gosh, what are you doing?' Grantham said with excitement. Okaloosa County School Resource Officer leaves lasting impact on students, receives Smiles Behind the Shield Award 'You are a hard-working employee, you're a pleasure to work with everyday, you volunteer your time, do all the extra duties that you don't have to and we're grateful to have you and all your expertise that you bring along with your many years of service,' MCSO Chief Deputy Andrew Peak said. 'You go above and beyond, and really that is inspiring to us at CSU, and I know to your community at large,' Kay Jenkins with Columbia Southern University said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Twin brothers with Prichard Fire-Rescue win over Girl Scout troop
PRICHARD, Ala. (WKRG) — A couple of Prichard firefighters have won over a local Girl Scout troop but not by buying cookies. Instead, they offered them quality time — something money can't buy. Okaloosa County School Resource Officer leaves lasting impact on students, receives Smiles Behind the Shield Award 'You can change the lives of kids all around, and it makes me want to continue to do this,' Prichard firefighter Mykyle McCaskill said. Mykyle and his twin brother, Michael, were invited to speak with the Girl Scout troop from Truelight Missionary Baptist Church and educate them on fire safety. 'We have 24 Girl Scouts, which is a pretty good-sized troop,' Denise Boykin said. 'We were looking for something to be educational and fun, so we invited Prichard Fire.' Without hesitation, the McCaskill brothers brought out the fire truck and their gear. They even showed the young ladies how to use the fire hose. 'They came and spent time individually with each girl and each volunteer,' Boykin said. The girls enjoyed them so much that they've already been invited back. 'I was impressed with how much they love what they do,' Boykin said. 'They respect firefighting, and they made it fun for us.' 'It means a lot to me to get up every day and do what I do,' Michael said. 'Try to inspire young kids to do something with themselves, stay out of trouble.' Final Salute to WKRG's 2024 Smiles Behind the Shield award recipients Leading by example is something Prichard Fire Chief Rodrick Shoots said they both do well, which is why we presented them with our Smiles Behind the Shield Award. 'I'm very proud of these two young men,' Shoots said. 'They're both great individuals, and they have great leadership skill,s and I look for them to do good things in the future.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Okaloosa County School Resource Officer leaves lasting impact on students, receives Smiles Behind the Shield Award
DESTIN, Fla. (WKRG) — A school resource officer in Northwest Florida has been making a difference in student's lives for decades. One student still remembers his impact 17 years later. That deputy's name is Tom Henry. MCSO Rural Enforcement Unit helps find 7-year-old boy in Chunchula, receives Smiles Behind the Shield Award Henry has been with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office for nearly 30 years. Eventually, he found out that his calling wasn't out on the streets but inside the schools. 'When you're on patrol, you go to call, to call to call, and you don't really [have] a chance to find out what's really going on in a household unless you're at that house all the time,' said Henry. 'So I felt there was a different need and I needed to be somewhere else to try and help maybe kids.' Henry was actually News 5's Shamonee Baker's school resource officer when she was a student at Choctawhatchee High School, but that's not why WKRG presented him with the Smiles Behind the Shield Award. Around Christmas, Henry received an email from a former student detailing how he saved her life. 'Dedicated mounted officer' receives Smiles Behind the Shield Award The person who graduated in 2008 said Henry saved her from an overdose of pills at school. She reached out to him to tell him how much of a positive impact he had on her. 'You find students in this job, and you try to dedicate that time and that effort into them, the ones that you know, might be struggling in life, and she was one of those students,' Henry said. 'When I got the email from her, it just surprised me and it took me all the way back to that moment when, you know, I had to save her.' That former student said she's been sober for over nine years now. 'To know that she's doing great things with her life, she's got help, and she's actually helping other youth in her community where she's living right now…. It just goes to show the impact that we have working in the schools,' Henry said. Daphne firefighter leads effort to build wheelchair ramp for local family Part of the email read:'I owe you a huge hug and an endless amount of gratitude for you saving my life that day.' 'You are a gift to not just the community and the children you touch but to many others around you.' Seventeen years later, Henry is still doing what he loves. This time at a new school, Destin High. 'Officer Henry has been truly, truly a delight, and I really wouldn't want to do this job without you here,' Destin High School principal Dr. Diane Kelley said. Last year, Henry received the Florida Association of School Resource Officers Lifetime Achievement Award, and now he can add WKRG's Smiles Behind the Shield award to his list of achievements. Congratulations and a job well done. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
