Michael Miller said he and the other firefighters had just finished Thanksgiving dinner when they got the call: house fire on 12th Avenue North.
There were two people in the home, a man and his mother.
“We found the mom,” Miller remembered. “She had gotten out. But the son didn’t.”
When Miller arrived to the fire — and he grinned remembering how he’d beaten now-Chief Martin Andrews to the scene — he put on his gear and headed into the house.
“We couldn’t find him,” Miller said. “I came back out, changed bottles and went back in with the chief and two other firefighters.”
The second time in the house, they heard the son calling for help.
“(We) picked him up and got him out of the house,” Miller said.
That was about 20 years ago — only a few years after Miller graduated from the state fire academy and joined Columbus Fire and Rescue. Now Miller, 50, is an engineer, instructor and coordinator of CFR’s overland search and rescue task force, even assisting with recovery last year when a military aircraft carrying 16 servicemen crashed in Leflore County. In total, he’s been on CFR’s force 24 years.
And for the last two of those years, he’s been named Firefighter of the Year.
Members of the Columbus Exchange Club recognized Miller for his service at their weekly luncheon Thursday. While the Exchange Club sponsors the award, the firefighters vote every year for the winner, club member Linda Hanson said.
“Michael is one of the good guys,” said Hanson, who worked as an administrative assistant at CFR until she retired in 2012. “He’s well-trained, has a great attitude. He’s just an example of all the guys at the fire department.”
Miller, who attended the luncheon with his wife and sons, said he was honored — and surprised — to be given the award two years in a row. Still, he credited the knowledge he’s gained training and working with other firefighters, particularly newcomers.
“Working for this department is really a big plus,” he told the Exchange Club. “… It’s allowed me to work with young guys coming on and sharing the knowledge I have gained over the years.”
Miller also thanked his family — particularly his wife for “putting up with him” spending so much time away from home over the years — and Andrews, who has been on the force about as long as Miller has and was there when Miller fought his first fire.
“He’s taught me so much,” Miller said.
Andrews also spoke at Exchange, where he particularly praised Miller’s search and rescue work. For example, Andrews said, after CFR’s search dog retired last year, Miller was instrumental in working with local dog trainers to get not one replacement but two — puppies whose training would make them worth $15,000 each. CFR bought them for $500 each.
“Instead of having one dog, we now have two dogs for $1,000 — $29,000 cheaper than they would have been,” Andrews said. “These are the types of things Mike always (does).
“He believes in that search and rescue,” he added. “Mike is a great man. I will lay down my life for Mike. … He listens, he follows instructions well and he obeys the rules. I love him for that.”
Andrews added the award is about more than honoring one firefighter and said Miller was an example of all the firefighters on the force, who may have to depend on one another in life-threatening situations at a moment’s notice.
“All our firefighters, we love each other,” he said. “We’re a team. … As long as I’m chief we’re going to try to do our best for this community and do what we need to do and stick together.”
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