The Ocala City Council recognized the life-saving efforts of a couple of Ocala Police Department officers recently.
“I wanted to recognize them and thank them for being here tonight,” said Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn during the May 18 meeting of the Ocala City Council.
Guinn read into record the details of the night in which three officers from the Ocala Police Department worked together with the Ocala Fire Rescue to save an 83-year-old woman from her burning home.
On May 7, 2021, at 3 a.m. officers Jordan Decker, Nathan Gallups, and William Bodie arrived at the woman’s home on SW 7th Street and observed the upper front of the structure to the right of the front door on fire.
One officer got a department-issued fire extinguisher and two others went to the back of the residence, where the resident was waiting for police to arrive, a report states.
From inside, the resident explained that the house was filling with smoke and that she could not access the back door to escape. The officers cleared the way and allowed her to escape.
“Thank you to the city of Ocala for allowing me to serve the city I love and which I hope to serve for another 29 years,” said officer Jordan Decker.
This is not the first time Decker has been commended for his actions. Earlier this year, he offered a ride home to an intoxicated couple before one of the individuals pulled a gun on him. Decker was able to respond quickly and without the use of lethal force to subdue the situation.