MP firemen commended for going above and beyond

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Mt. Pleasant Mayor Steve Brimhall called it his favorite part of Wednesday?s city council meeting as he presented Mt. Pleasant fireman Ben Calhoun with a commendation.

?I am extremely proud of what you did,? Brimhall stated. ?It was wonderful. You went above and beyond the call of duty.?

What Calhoun, also a city employee in the public works department, did was greatly assist a Minneapolis, Minn., family involved in an accident Jan. 1, north of Mt. Pleasant on U.S. Highway 218.

A car had rolled with five people hurt and three ambulances were dispatched to the scene. Calhoun was asked to drive one of the ambulances to Burlington with the mother and her 17-month-old infant. The three other accident victims were taken to the Henry County Health Center (HCHC). Four of the five victims had minor injuries but the infant was airlifted from Burlington to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for additional treatment.

But, wait, there is more to Calhoun?s good deed.

After he returned to Mt. Pleasant, he took his personal vehicle back to Burlington to bring the mother to Mt. Pleasant to be with her family.

After everyone was treated and released at HCHC, Calhoun drove the family to Iowa City to be with the baby. Calhoun did this all at his own expense.

After receiving the commendation, Calhoun said he was just doing what came naturally.

?I felt sorry for the family,? Calhoun began. ?There was no way that the family could get around here.?

He said it was the first time he has driven for the family and admitted that the whole experience was an emotional roller coaster. ?You can train for certain events, but sometimes, instincts take over and you just have to do it. It was a very emotional experience.?

Calhoun, who lives with his wife and two sons in Mt. Pleasant, has been a member of the fire department for two years.

He said he didn?t expect any commendation or thanks for being a Good Samaritan. ?I just hope that if something like this ever happens to me, someone else will do what I did.?