Savannah Police officers are called daily to respond to situations where immediate action is necessary in order to save lives.  On May 5, 2019, at approximately 6:00 am, the Savannah Police Department and the Savannah Fire Department were dispatched to respond to a fire call at 135 Hampstead Avenue.  Officer Nicholas Peterson was the first emergency responder to report to the Scene.  Officer Peterson saw an apartment on fire on the eleventh floor.  Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Officer Peterson then ran up eleven flights of stairs, to assess the situation.  He entered the apartment and found a 60 year old female who had been severely burned, and he immediately pulled this woman to safety.  She advised him that her daughter was still in the apartment.  After placing the first victim in the hallway, Officer Peterson reentered the now fully engulfed apartment to search for an additional victim.  Not aware the daughter had already evacuated the building, he conducted a thorough search that was unsuccessful.  Officer Peterson then retrieved the first victim, placed her on his back, and carried her down the eleven flights of stairs to the Emergency Medical Service personnel who were standing by in the parking lot.

Today, Officer Peterson is being recognized by the Mayor and Aldermen as a hero, a public servant, who put his own life in great danger to save a citizen he had never met.  The post incident report indicated the victim had been burned over 90% of her body, and according to the Savannah Fire Incident Chief, probably would not have survived had it not been for the fast and heroic actions of Officer Nicholas Peterson.

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