Robin Adair is honored for her heroism by Mason County Fire Chief Beau Bakken

Mason County Fire District 2 is proud to announce one of 2011’s elite Carnegie Medal of Heroism award recipients.

On August 22^nd, 2010 our Fire District received one of the worst calls imaginable to a Firefighter.  Just after 5:00pm tones roared through the station like a freight train on a midnight run.  “Mason 2, Structure Fire 22141 State Route 3, children reported in the structure”.  Firefighters quickly assembled into their protective gear and then on to the apparatus and prepared themselves for the three minute response.  En-route the firefighters were updated that an 11 month old was in the back bedroom and a three year old was in the front living room.  As you can imagine time slowed down.

Passing by that evening was truly a hero in the making.  Robin Adair, 25 and a mother herself drove by the house traveling northbound on Highway 3 when she saw the flames.  She quickly turned around to see what she could do to help.  Once she had arrived at the residence she was met by Ms. Eash.  Ms. Eash stated that her 11 month old daughter was in the back bedroom.  Access was blocked from the front of the house due to the fire on the front porch.  The back door which led into the bedroom was locked.  At this point the only way into the smoke filled structure was through a window.  The daring duo went to action.  Ms. Eash hoisted Ms. Adair into the rear bedroom window 6 feet off the ground like she was a kid’s toy, or should we say she flew into the window like an angel, when in fact she was.  Once inside the dark smoky room she initiated a search for Bobbi, the 11 month old daughter of Ms. Eash.  Twenty feet from the window Bobbi was located in her crib crying.  Ms. Adair quickly swept up the child and covered her with a blanket and headed back towards the window.  Conditions had changed that little amount of time.  Once Ms. Adair had turned around and headed for the window the smoke layer had dropped to the floor and it had become completely black in the room.  Only shouted directions from the people outside were able to guide her out of impending doom.  Seconds after gaining safety from the inside of the house windows from an adjacent bedrooms started to break out and the fire had engulfed the entire front of the house.  “Having caring, compassionate citizens like Robin, is why we live in one of the best communities in America” stated Jeromy Hicks, Mason County Fire District 2’s Community Outreach Coordinator.

In September of 2010, Robin received the Fire District’s Hero award form Fire Chief Beau Bakken and the Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon.  “Robin was a hero, that August night.  I could not think of someone else more deserving of this award” Chief Bakken stated in his speech.    

Robin is among one of 25 recipients of this award announced Tuesday September 27^th 2011.  Only 100 awards of this caliber are earned annually from individuals such as Robin who risk their lives to save another’s.  Since the awards inception in 1904 only 9,477 honorees have received this award.  Steel baron Andrew Carnegie was inspired to start the award fund after learning of heroic rescue stories from a mine disaster which killed 181 people.  Mason County Fire District 2 is proud of Robin and her accomplishment.  Congratulations.  For more information on the Carnegie Award you can visit http://www.carnegiehero.org/.