On January 24, 2025, a fire trapped multiple people at a home in Koshkonong, Missouri, located near the state's southern border.
Chief Paramedic Dustin Kirkpatrick was first on the scene.
The house was fully engulfed, and an elderly man on the porch told Kirkpatrick his wife was trapped inside. Kirkpatrick pulled the man to safety and, without time to don his protective gear, began searching for the wife. He crawled into the smoke-filled, zero-visibility structure and located the elderly woman face-down on the floor.
He dragged the unresponsive woman from the center of the house. A firefighter helped him move the victim into the yard.
At this point, an Oregon County ambulance had arrived, and Kirkpatrick instructed the team to treat the elderly man while he treated the elderly woman, who was barely breathing.
He began life-saving care, intubating the woman and establishing vascular access to administer critical medications. His intervention stabilized the victim’s oxygen levels before she was transported to the hospital, where she recovered.
Dustin Kirkpatrick acted selflessly, entering a burning home without protective equipment and delivering expert medical care to save the woman’s life. He is a true Missouri hero.
Nominations are now open for heroic acts performed during 2026 and must be received by February 28, 2027. The nominating forms are available on the Missouri Department of Public Safety website at https://dps.mo.gov/medal/.
