Some of the area’s top-notch first responders were honored Tuesday, Feb. 23, by The Two Hundred Club of the Coastal Empire. While two are firefighters and one is a state trooper, they all have something in common – they risked their lives without hesitation to save citizens in imminent danger.

During the club’s 2016 seventh annual Valor Awards ceremony at the Charles H. Morris Center in downtown Savannah, Advanced Firefighter Justin Goldberg, Master Firefighter Christopher Lamb and State Trooper Kelvin Carswell were honored and recognized for their heroic actions stemming from different incidents in 2015.

Last June, one woman had to be rescued from the Savannah River on two separate occasions. The first time first responders were called to the woman’s aid, Goldberg entered the river and brought her safely back to the docks on River Street near Factor’s Walk. Before the firefighter braved the unpredictable currents of the river to retrieve the woman, she’d been combative and had refused assistance. Emergency personnel made several attempts to extract her from the waterway before Goldberg diffused the situation.  

Only one week later, firefighters were again dispatched to the same location to help a distressed female in the Savannah River. Lamb did not hesitate to lower himself into the roiling water, where he found the woman to be aggressive and confrontational. Still, he assessed her condition and worked to pull her to shore, all the while calming the woman by issuing reassurances.

Following the second rescue, firefighters realized they’d saved the same woman twice. Each time, she received on-site medical attention and later was sent to a hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Both Goldberg and Lamb commented that they were humbled to be formally recognized but added they were just fulfilling their professional obligations.  

The third Valor Award went to Georgia State Patrol Trooper Kelvin Carswell, whose bravery and quick thinking played a key role in the apprehension of an armed and dangerous assault suspect following a shootout.

Last June, multiple law-enforcement agencies initiated a manhunt in the Montgomery and Toombs county areas for a man wanted for aggravated assault incidents that led to the death of Montgomery County Sheriff Ladson O’Connor. Carswell had been asked to patrol a road in the area where the suspect was believed to be traveling. As he drove, two bystanders flagged him down and alerted him to the suspect’s presence in the carport of a nearby home.

Using the home for cover, the armed man engaged Carswell in a shootout. The trooper called for backup and continued his pursuit of the suspect, despite having only his patrol car to use as shelter from the barrage of gunfire. When the perpetrator fled on foot, Carswell followed until additional units arrived and helped to apprehend the man, who had been trying to escape in a motor boat.

The suspect sustained a gunshot wound to the leg as he shot at the trooper from the carport. Carswell, who was not injured, said his only thought during the ordeal was that he needed to eliminate the threat not only to himself, but to the innocent civilians in the community who were in harm’s way. GSP Post 16 Commander Sgt. 1^st Class J.F. Clifton, Carswell’s supervisor, said the trooper displayed a high level of courage and fortitude by placing himself in a volatile and dangerous situation that extended well beyond the scope of his normal duties.

The honorees were selected for the awards by a committee of Law Enforcement and Fire Command Officers, explained Club President Mark Dana. Nominations were received from the 20 counties that comprise The Two Hundred Club of the Coastal Empire’s support area. The award recipients each received a plaque and a medal of valor.

“The club’s primary mission is to assist families of law-enforcement officers and firefighters who die or suffer critical injuries in the line of duty. Since the club began 15 years ago, it has provided benefits to 54 families of fallen officers and firefighters,” Dana said.

The club is a nonprofit, independent organization that relies on its members’ annual dues and donations as well as fundraising events, like the “Red, White & Blue” BBQ last October and the upcoming Savannah Mile event in May, to provide donations to families of fallen and injured first responders.

“As a civilian organization, we are thankful we have the chance to support the families of the incredible men and women who protect us. We can’t do enough to pay back these brave individuals for the sacrifices they make,” said Dana, adding that he and the club’s other representatives are overjoyed that this year’s Valor Award winners returned safely to their own families after bravely considering the well-being of others before themselves.