The Scottsboro City Council, Scottsboro Police Department Chief Ralph Dawe and Scottsboro Fire Department Chief Gene Necklaus joined to present awards to three men who recently went “above and beyond the call of duty,” according to a Facebook post by the Scottsboro Police Department.
The awards stem from actions taken on January 27, 2020, when a boat dock in Scottsboro caught fire killing eight people and destroying dozens of ships.
The three men honored for their actions during that emergency were Police Sgt. Brian Eakin, Lt. Landon Baker of the Scottsboro Fire Department and Robert Shook of the Jackson County Rescue Squad.
According to the post, Eakin and Shook, after hearing the emergency come over the radio, grabbed a rescue boat and set out to rescue people from the icy waters.
The Scottsboro Police Department credits them with rescuing seven lives that night.
Upon inspection the next day, it was discovered that the heat felt by Eakin and Shook was so intense it had partially melted the plastic seats of the boat.
The Department credits Baker with arriving on the scene quickly and also braving the January waters to help those in need.
The post concludes, “Their actions have made them heroes, and [they] deserve our respect.”
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
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