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Virginia medic awarded Medal of Valor for saving firefighter’s life

Posted at 5:35 PM, Mar 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-24 17:35:53-04

Tyler Hollingsworth

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A fire medic received a Medal of Valor for saving the life of a fellow firefighter who could have been electrocuted.

Tyler Hollingsworth joined the Newport News Fire Department three years ago. One of the aspects he loves most about his job is the sense of family.

“We eat good food, hang out together and what’s better than riding around saving lives on a big red truck?” Hollingsworth asked affiliate WTKR.

Last November, Hollingsworth’s company responded to a house fire. Luckily, no one was home and a lot of the house was saved.

“We went in, made entry, made fast attack, had good knockdown on the fire,” said Hollingsworth.

But during cleanup, Hollingsworth noticed a short in one of the scene lights in one of the trucks. He said both he and another firefighter had their hands on the light. While the other firefighter attempted to fix the situation.

“I stepped away for a minute and he was able to yell out at me get me off, get me off,” said Hollingsworth, who rushed to pull the other firefighter off. In saving his fellow firefighter, Hollingsworth received an electric shock as well. Doctors said if Hollingsworth hesitated, the other firefighter would not have made such a strong recovery.

“That really resonated with me. I think we’re all aware of what could have happened. I’m glad I could help him out. I’m sure he would have done the same for me in a heartbeat,” said Hollingsworth.

That act earned Hollingsworth a Medal of Valor from the Newport News Fire Department.

“It was a real honor to help one of my brothers out,” said Hollingsworth, who added he’s going to work hard every day to live up to the prestigious award he just received.

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