WEST ALLIS, Wis. — The West Allis Common Council honored the first responders who jumped into a quickly-burning mobile home to save a three-year-old boy.
They were just doing their jobs, but it’s a job like no other. Oftentimes, they’re thankless roles for dispatchers, police and firefighters, but not Tuesday.
“Tonight, we’re here to honor everybody who took part in this,” said West Allis Mayor Dan Devine.
Eleven people were honored Tuesday. The group was involved in executing the successful rescue of a family from a burning mobile home.
West Allis Fire Dept. Lt. Dan Rohde broke through glass to jump inside a burning home to save three-year-old M.J.
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“Police were yelling for M.J. Once I made it into the window, visibility was none,” he recalled. “I could see him on the floor. He was kind of in a right-sided fetal position.”
Before the rescue, were the dispatchers. people like Milissa Schreiber took those critical calls.
“We started seeing multiple 911 calls for that location and we prepared ourselves that something was actually happening,” she said.
Schreiber said the third of many 911 calls was the one that alerted crews that M.J. was still trapped inside.
MJ’s uncle, Andrew Kreblin was there to personally watch the commendations.
“It was a group effort and the recognition doesn’t stop here, at least in our family,” he said.
Both Dan and Milissa, among the dozen first responders involved that day, said the greatest reward was saving those lives.
“The ultimate recognition is being able to see the family, talk to M.J. and make sure he’s doing good,” Rhode said.
“We were doing our jobs. Trying to keep the community safe, get the firefighters to do their job and get as much information out there as possible,” Schreiber said.
M.J. and his mother, Noelle Guy, are recovering out of the hospital. Noelle’s mother, Elizabeth, is still recovering at the hospital.
