Gorman named Firefighter of the Year

One of the Frelsburg Volunteer Fire Department’s firefighters, Captain Brent Gorman Sr., was awarded the firefighter of the year award by the 100 Club at the 2023 Hero Awards.

The awards banquet was held May 25 in Houston, where his family and Frelsburg VFD fire chiefs attended. Gorman was presented a custom fire helmet and a custom fire ax.

According to a release, Gorman was given this prestigious award for two incidents that occurred last year when he performed personal tourniquets to help save patients.

On Oct. 13, 2022, the Frelsburg Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a major truck accident involving a pickup truck that had hit a motorcycle. Gorman quickly arrived on scene since the accident occurred close to his home, according to a release. Gorman found the rider of the motorcycle lying in the ditch with a partially amputated leg and bleeding. He used his tourniquet to control the bleeding and maintained patient care until additional fire department units made it to the scene. Gorman’s lifesaving act kept the patient’s blood loss to a minimum. The Frelsburg Volunteer Fire Department set up a landing zone for the Life Flight helicopter.

On Nov. 16, 2022, the Frelsburg Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to an accidental shooting. The patient accidentally discharged a 12-gauge shotgun with the projectiles striking his hand just after the muzzle, according to a release. The patient lost two fingers and was bleeding severely from the injuries. The patient and a family member jumped into a car and started driving toward Frelsburg. Their vehicle broke down, hindering first responder efforts because their new location was unknown. Gorman searched and found the vehicle. The patient was bleeding from his injuries and weak from blood loss. Gorman again used a tourniquet and had to apply a second tourniquet due to the extended response time. He maintained patient care until additional fire department units and EMS arrived on scene.

Gorman’s Stop the Bleed procedures with his own medical gear he carries with him every day helped both patients’ outlook be better due to the lifesaving procedures he performed.