By Theresa Neuhoff
The News-Herald
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — Five Lake County police officers have been recognized for their life-saving efforts.
At a Lake County Association Chiefs of Police meeting Nov. 4, Patrolman Timothy Novak of the Fairport Harbor Police Department received the organization’s highest award — the Medal of Honor — “for an outstanding act of heroism in the line of duty, at imminent personal hazard of life with full knowledge of the risk involved,” according to Willowick Police Chief Michael Lazor, who presented the award.
Patrolmen Chris Anderson, Ryan Shannon and Eric Sharp of the Madison Township Police Department and Sargent Larry Harpster of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received Life Saving Awards.
According to a letter of recommendation from Fairport Harbor Police Chief Mark Kish, Novak was the first to arrive on the scene of an apartment fire on Oct. 14. When he discovered one occupant was still inside, Novak “forced open the locked door and entered the apartment. The 10-year veteran found the resident unconscious just inside the entry door and removed him from the apartment.”
The resident suffered burn wounds over 30 percent of his body. While at the emergency room, Kish was told the resident would not have survived the fire had he been in the apartment five minutes longer.
“When you get dispatched, you don’t have a choice of what type of situation you are going into,” said Novak, who suffered smoke inhalation. “It was just all in the job. I was fortunate I wasn’t injured in any way. A broken window may have saved me from being killed by a backdraft.”
Harpster, a 19-year veteran, also saved a life on Oct. 4 on a Route 20 bridge located over the Grand River in Painesville Township. When he arrived on the scene, he saw a 20-year old woman clenching the railing and looking at the river below. According to a letter of recommendation from Lake County Sheriff Daniel Dunlap, Harpster “asked the woman if she was alright and she stated ‘no.’” For the next 30 minutes, Harpster engaged the woman in conversation and discovered she was despondent over recent problems with her fiance. At one point, the woman placed a foot on the rail and attempted to lift herself over the edge of the bridge to jump. That’s when Harpster moved in, grabbed the woman and led her to safety.
“Harpster acted in a professional and compassionate manner during the incident and his ability to connect with this female ultimately led him to be able to move closer to her and save her life as she attempted to jump from this bridge,” Dunlap wrote in his report.
According to Harpster, he connected with the woman by explaining to her that she was not alone in her troubles. “I explained to her everyone has problems,” he said.
“Once I had a hold of her, I knew she would be safe,” he said. “It feels good to be recognized — especially the way the world is today with police officers. It’s good to get recognized for what everyone is doing every day.” According to a letter of recommendation from Madison Township Chief of Police Matthew Byers, Anderson, Shannon and Sharp were honored for their attempts to save a life on July 30,. When they arrived on the scene of a one-car accident on Dock Road in Madison Township, smoke was coming from the vehicle and flames were in the engine compartment. The sole occupant of the vehicle was pinned in the back seat of the car.
Anderson, Shannon and Sharp worked together to extract the victim from the burning car. As a result, Anderson suffered cuts and minor injuries due to broken glass. He was covered in blood from his own wounds and that of the victim’s.
Shortly after the victim was pulled from the car, the gas tank ignited and flames consumed the vehicle. The victim was alive when he was transported from the scene to the emergency room, but died a short time later. Although he was an experienced officer, the accident was Sharp’s first with the Madison Police Department. On that day, he was training with Anderson and had only been on the job for approximately three hours.
“I’m honored to receive this award,” Anderson said. “Never in a million years did I expect something like this to happen — especially when I was training someone for the first day.”
Sharp said although he was knew to the department, he’s learned to “expect the unexpected” over the years.
“It’s all in the line of duty,” he said.