City Bestows Award of Valor on Two Nebraska Fire Fighters

March 10, 2009 – Columbus, NE Local 1575 fire fighters Terry Pfeifer and Tim Bartholomew, along with two police officers have received the City of Columbus Award of Valor for their roles in saving the life of five-year-old Tristen Kleckner.

Kleckner’s two older brothers were playing with matches when their apartment caught fire last summer. The fire quickly spread throughout the home. They were able to get out, but could not get to Tristen.

Fire fighters and police were called to the scene. “When we got there, responding police officers had tried to save the boy, but the fire was already too large,” recalls Bartholomew, a 16-year veteran fire fighter.

Tristen believed to be trapped somewhere near the back of the ground-floor apartment. “I grabbed my protective gear, ran around back and told one of the police officers to ask Tim to pull a hose around,” says Pfeifer, a 19-year veteran fire fighter. “Once I got into the apartment, I saw what looked like a child’s bed. Since kids often hide when they are scared, I thought there was a good chance he was under there.”

Pfeifer adds, “But when I got closer, I saw Tristen on the other side of the room. He was unresponsive.”

Pfeifer rushed the five-year-old out of the home and he and another Local 1575 member, Kyle Lingenfelter, tried to revive him. “By the time we got him to the hospital, Kleckner was conscious and in a great deal of pain because his upper body had been burned so badly,” says Pfeifer.

Kleckner survived, but is still undergoing therapy for his injuries. He was well enough to help present the Valor awards at the Municipal Recognition Banquet in Columbus, Nebraska.