Poplar Bluff firefighters train to rescue those trapped in burning buildings, but their prayer is they’ll never have to use the skills.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 11, firefighters responded to a fire on the east side of town. Father and grandfather Alex Clinton, 64, had rescued three family members, but was unable to get out of the house.
The crews cut into a wall to rescue Clinton as this wife, daughter and granddaughter watched. He was transported to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, where he was treated before being transferred to Mercy Hospital’s burn unit in St. Louis.
Clinton suffered burns to 20% of his body while saving his family. The family reported Aug. 13, Clinton had lost his battle with injuries sustained in the fire.
Poplar Bluff Fire Chief Mike Moffitt recently recognized the firefighters who responded that day with a commendation.
The commendation reads:
“In the early morning hours of Aug. 11, Poplar Bluff Fire Department responded to one of the most stressful calls that we respond to, someone is trapped inside a burning structure. Upon their arrival, they found that Mr. Clinton had gotten three members of his family out of the house, but was unable to get out himself. The members of his family were in the yard begging the crew to not let him die. Because of their professionalism and ability to assess the situation, they were able to rescue Mr. Clinton and give him a fighting chance at survival.
“This is not a situation that we respond to every day. I feel that the members of the PBFD (Stacy Harmon, Chad Bell, Jon Miller, Austin Armes, Josh Buhler, Kenny Felts) deserve to be commended for their professionalism, hard work and dedication to doing this job.
“This call did not end for those men when they left the scene that morning. Those firefighters will remember every aspect of that call for the rest of their lives. They will always wonder if they could have done something different that would have changed the outcome. We are fortunate to have these men as members of PBFD and our community.”
The firefighters didn’t want to talk about themselves on Saturday when they were recognized. When asked about the commendation, the firefighters stressed “this article should be more about Mr. Clinton.”
“He is the hero to us,” Armes said.
Battalion Chief Harmon explained the firefighters are uncomfortable receiving a commendation. He stressed Mr. Clinton is the one who should be honored.
Clinton’s family and his widow, Christy, have praised the firefighters, as well as the other emergency workers.
Christy Clinton has said, “the firefighters all came to the hospital. They were very gracious. When we told them we thought our phones were in part of the bedroom that didn’t burn, they came back to the house and found them for us and brought them back. I just want to thank the firefighters, police officers and emergency workers. I’m grateful for everybody. Please say again thank you to all the emergency responders for being so gracious.”
When Clinton’s friends and coworkers at the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston talk about him, they describe him “as a big guy with a big heart and a hero.”
Clinton’s coworkers said, “he was a big man. He was 6-foot-4 or something like that, but he was a big teddy bear. He loved his family, that was his biggest thing. He talked about having babies and grandbabies at home to take care of, and of course, his babies are in their 30s now.”
One of them called him the “smartest man he knew and very focused.”
His coworkers continued, “He was very knowledgeable about this job, very knowledgeable about people. He had a good rapport with the offenders. He had a good rapport with staff.”
Major Jessie May, who works at the correctional center, explained, “If you haven’t worked in the field that we work in, it’s tough to understand because firefighters, your first responders, your paramedics, we spend more time with each other than we do with our own families. We become so close. It’s like losing a sibling, a father, or like losing a best friend.”
May admitted, “He always had a smile and loved his family. The family at his institution and his family (at home).”
While no one can replace Clinton, his family has been adopted by a battalion of Poplar Bluff firefighters.
Harmon said, “they are a part of our family.”