CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Presentation of a Fire Chief’s Award to Christine Sentman
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DEPARTMENT: Fire Department
SUBMITTED BY: Ruthi Sommers on behalf of Fire Chief Puknaitis
At approximately 4:00 pm on January 4, 2018, Christine Sentman had just gotten home and was unloading groceries when she heard a “whoosh” behind her in the family room. She turned to see the upper half of the Christmas tree in flames. She immediately yelled to her younger sister and her two friends to come up from the basement and got them out the front door to call 911.
She ran back into the house and went down to the basement to see if her brother was home but determined he wasn’t there. Then she went for the family dog who was frozen in fear sitting by the burning patio door drapes. She carried the 80-pound lab to the front doors to find that the doors wouldn’t open because the pressure in the house had built up. Finally, the picture window above the doors blew out and she was able to escape with the dog. She called 911 and then her mom to make sure her brother was not somewhere else in the house.
Christine Sentman is being presented a Fire Chief’s Award for her quick thinking and the life-saving actions she took to protect her family and pet during a house fire.