Firefighter - 2020 - 36

INDUSTRY

2020 FLORIDA FIREFIGHTER

2020 ANNUAL FIRE SERVICE AWARDS
Florida State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis presented the following recipients with the
2019 Fire Service Awards on February 4, 2020 at the State Capitol. To see the full list
of winners, go to page 38.

FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR

JACOB GERCAK
Winter Park Fire Rescue, Winter Park, FL
On 3/26/19 Jacob Gercak, while off duty,
assisted in an automobile accident in Lake County
where a vehicle rolled on its side submerged in water,
and pulled three children out to safety. He then went
back into the vehicle to save the adult female still inside.
He pulled her out and started CPR when Lake EMS arrived. His actions saved three
children that day. Jacob sustained injuries to himself and had to miss several shifts of
work to recover.
GERCAK'S RECOUNT OF EVENT

My friend and I were driving eastbound on SR44 in a rural part of Lake County. We noticed a four door
SUV partially submerged in water off the south side of the road in a swamp. Two older gentlemen arrived at
the scene about 30 seconds before we drove by. They were in the water frantically attempting to break a window
of the vehicle. We immediately pulled over and ran to help. The SUV was resting on its driver side in waist-deep
water, and had hit and snapped a power pole during the crash, causing several power lines to dangle directly
above it. As soon as we were near the vehicle we could hear what sounded like several children screaming
from inside. The fastest way to access anyone was through the passenger windows, which were now facing up.
I jumped on top of the car and kicked in the glass. We knew we had to be quick because the car was unsteady,
feeling like it could completely submerge at any minute. It was getting dark and I couldn't really see inside the car,
so I climbed inside and started feeling around for people. Toys and debris were floating around; the kids were
splashing and screaming. I quickly found three hysterical young children struggling to keep their heads above
water and handed them out to one of the two bystanders. They had some cuts, but nothing apparently life threatening. They looked like they were about 3 to 5 years old. I started looking for the driver and any other victims
when I soon felt an arm floating. The mother of the girls was submerged underwater, still in the driver's seat.
She was unresponsive as I lifted her out, but I couldn't access anything until I got us both out of the car before it
tipped over. I checked for any other victims inside and it was all clear. We laid the mom on her back and checked
for breathing and a pulse. She had a weak carotid pulse, and was only breathing about 5 to 8 times a minute or
less. She was still unresponsive. After a reassessment we felt no pulse. We did CPR for about 10 minutes until an
ambulance showed up and took over. We later found out she had passed away from her injuries.

Firefighter - 2020

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