Seven members of the West Carrollton Fire Department were recognized during the April 10 city council meeting.

Joshua Astor, Ben Lindon, Brandon Abney, who serve as firefighter-EMTs, and Joshua Whitehead, a firefighter-paramedic, received merit awards. Captain Andy Shepherd, Dave Howard, a firefighter-EMT, and Chris Warrick, a firefighter-paramedic, received letters of commendation.

They each played a part the rescue of Robin Callihan, 51, and her son Daniel Evans, 28, from an early morning fire on Feb. 17 at their home at 1664 South Villa Road.

 “The two victims are still in the hospital burn unit and face a very long road to recovery,” said Fire Chief Jack Keister.

“However, had this crew not done what they did in such a timely matter, the victims would not have survived,” he said. Keister said the original call came in as an ‘odor investigation’ which often turns out to be burnt food, he said. However, the next calls reported victims trapped.

“When I arrived at the scene and saw the flames and smoke, I expected that we would be dealing with fatalities,” Keister said. “I was very surprised when they carried out the victims to see that they were breathing.”

Capt. Andy Shepherd displayed the burn damage to the turnout gear used during the fire. Temperatures are thought to have reached approximately 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit in the house.

“It’s a proud moment for me as Mayor,” said Jeff Sanner. “You went above and beyond, and you’ve given them an opportunity to live,” he said.