Hometown Heroes/Durham EMS B Shift

Six Durham EMS Medics were honored by the Durham County Commissioners at their May 26th meeting. The story below, by Keith Upchurch, was published on May 13th in the Durham Herald Sun.

Pictured below are the medics after they were recognized at the meeting. Front Row (L-R) Karin Knight and Valerie Norton. Back Row (L-R) Warren Swanson, Chris Ragan and Donald Fonville. (Rodney Medlin was not able to attend the meeting due to the death of his Grandmother.)

DURHAM -- Paramedics who responded to a fire that killed a man and his elderly mother on Russell Road will be honored by the county for their efforts to save them. The paramedics will be recognized at a future Durham County Commissioners meeting, Assistant County Manager Deborah Craig-Ray said.


"We're so proud of those guys,' she said. "We definitely want to make sure that their heroism is recognized.'

The fire broke out the night of April 30 at a home at 6406 Russell Road in northern Durham County, and claimed the lives of Larry Eddie Laws, 58, and his mother, Catherine Burch Turner, 76. They died at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill after being transported by ambulance.


In an e-mail to Durham County Manager Mike Ruffin, Chief Len Needham of the Bahama Fire Department praised the paramedics' efforts that night.


"All of these teams on Medic 2 and Medic 6 along with the EMS supervisor and new employee riding with him worked tirelessly to treat these patients and give them every chance at life,' he wrote. "I know these patients are not what they see every day, but the skill levels of these medics were like they treated these type of patients daily. We are so lucky here in Durham to have great medics like these to help our citizens when they are in need.'


The paramedics are Donald Fonville, Karin Knight, Warren Swanson, Valerie Norton, EMS supervisor Rodney Medlin and new employee Chris Ragan.


Mike Smith, director of Durham County Emergency Medical Services, said he's proud of all his employees. "They worked hard with the two patients there,' Smith said. "It seems overwhelming sometimes, but that's what they're trained to do. We try to do the best we can. "I'm really proud of them -- all of those who work here, because they're under a lot of pressure, a lot of stress. They're busy, they work hard, and they're trained well for their jobs.'