Community Corner

Shelby Officers Recognized For 'Heroic' acts During Senior Complex Fire

Seven Shelby Township Police officers and three civilians from the force have been nominated for life-saving awards.

The seven Shelby Township Police officers who were the first on the force to respond to a three-alarm fire at the Shelby Manors Senior Complex Saturday morning have been nominated for life-saving awards.

The seven officers arrived to the 8 a.m. fire before many of the surrounding six fire departments that were called in for backup, and ran into the burning building.

The officers assisted firefighters in pulling out all 100-plus residents from the smoke-filled building by kicking down doors and alerting the many senior citizens who were asleep when the fire started.

Find out what's happening in Shelby-Uticawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“They don’t have the equipment and are not trained to go into smoke-filled buildings, so it really speaks a lot of their dedication,” said Shelby Township Police Chief Roland Woelkers. “As far as I am concerned, they are heroes.”

The officers recognized for their actions are:

Find out what's happening in Shelby-Uticawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Officer Paul Sorbo
  • Officer Brian Bunch
  • Officer Gregory Neubacher
  • Officer Dan Price
  • Officer Jeffery Bellomo
  • Officer Andrew Gammicchia
  • Sgt. Scott Trumbo

Also, Woelkers said three civilians from the dispatch and communications department will also be recognized for their efforts in coordinating the operation: Bonnie Bowman, Dave Marshall and Kelly Donahue.

Woelkers said there is no protocol on how officers should handle fires.

“In my 35 years on the force, I have pulled people out of two burning buildings,” he said.

When officers arrive to a scene of an incident, they are trained to assess the situation and save lives.

“Because our incidents are so varied, from giving CPR to fires, pulling people out of car wrecks and helping old ladies across the street, we’re just kind of the universal helper in the township,” he said.

Many residents of the senior complex had to be guided out of the building and some had to be rescued from their balconies. However, no major injuries were reported.

“It was overall a great job by the police and fire. Its part of working together as a team to do the best we can to help the residents,” said Woelkers.

The residents in Shelby Manor Apartment Building B remain displaced as cleanup and restoration continues.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here