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2020 SPECIAL SESSION I


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 610
Commending Officer Nathaniel Spicer.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, September 29, 2020

 

WHEREAS, Officer Nathaniel Spicer, a member of the Dublin Police Department in Pulaski County, is a true hero in the Dublin community, Southwest Virginia, and the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, on April 24, 2020, at 4:21 a.m., the Dublin emergency dispatch received a call regarding an apartment fire with a man trapped inside one of the units; and

WHEREAS, at 4:26 a.m., Officer Nathaniel Spicer arrived at the scene and was informed that the person trapped inside was a wheelchair user; and

WHEREAS, Officer Spicer immediately radioed the location of the residence and related information for fire and emergency medical services personnel; and

WHEREAS, without giving thought to his own personal safety, Officer Spicer entered the smoke-filled residence to search for and attempt to rescue the person trapped inside; and

WHEREAS, Officer Spicer located the individual and tried to wheel him out, but the wheelchair became entangled in objects, and smoke in the residence rendered it difficult to locate the obstruction; and

WHEREAS, Officer Spicer informed the individual that he would need to remove him from his wheelchair and carry him the remainder of the distance out of the building; and

WHEREAS, Officer Spicer successfully completed the rescue and moved the individual to safety; and

WHEREAS, while suffering from smoke inhalation, Officer Spicer did not let his personal health conditions affect his concern for other residents inside of the apartment building, some of whom did not know that the fire was quickly spreading, and began going door-to-door awakening tenants and making them aware of the dangerous situation; and

WHEREAS, due to circumstances beyond their control, some of the residents were not able to respond, prompting Officer Spicer to begin forced entry into those units, as directed by their neighbors, until he successfully located all residents; and

WHEREAS, after the fire was suppressed and the apartment building saved from being a total loss, the Dublin fire chief and fire marshal informed Dennis R. Lambert, Chief of the Dublin Police Department, that Officer Spicer’s actions saved the life of the wheelchair user, who would have perished from smoke inhalation before the fire department’s arrival; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his actions to preserve the life of a citizen in distress, and in keeping with the finest tradition of public service and safety, Officer Spicer was presented with the Life Saving Award and a pin that may be worn on his uniform; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Officer Nathaniel Spicer, whose willingness to place service over self during a life or death situation resulted in the saving of one life, if not more, within the Dublin community hereby be commended for his actions on April 24, 2020; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to Officer Nathaniel Spicer as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for his valor and to Chief Dennis R. Lambert on behalf of the entire Dublin Police Department.