A Staffordshire Police officer who rescued a family from a blazing house fire has been nominated for the National Police Bravery Awards.
PC Dominic Gallimore arrived at the scene to see thick smoke billowing from the address in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent. The house was on fire due to a ruptured gas pipe and smoke was starting to envelope neighbouring properties.
A neighbour had seen the blaze and knew that the family living next door to it were still inside the house.
The neighbour explained the situation to PC Gallimore who managed to break down the door of the house, which was full of choking black smoke. With visibility almost zero, PC Gallimore managed to shout up the stairs to alert the sleeping family to the extreme danger they were in.
The father was the first to make it down the stairs and he was helped to safety before PC Gallimore managed to help the mother and two children out of the house. It was clear that due to the thick asphyxiating smoke, the family were probably only around five minutes away from suffering potentially life-threatening injuries.
PC Gallimore’s bravery had saved their lives.
Staffordshire Police Chairman Keith Jarvis praised PC Gallimore for his quick thinking.
"There wasn't much time to ascertain what was happening," he said.
"The family had to be gotten out of that house and PC Gallimore's actions certainly saved their lives.
"We are very proud of him and what he did that day."
PC Gallimore will attend a reception and an evening awards ceremony in London in July. The National Police Bravery Awards honour officers who have performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty. The awards are sponsored by Police Mutual.
