TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – Two firefighters received the Idaho Medal of Honor recently for acts of bravery performed in 2015.

Lt. John Ward of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and Sean Allen of the Idaho Falls Fire Department were recognized during a ceremony Friday at the Idaho Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Boise.

... these firefighters placed the life of others before their own and ... their actions exemplify what it means to act above and beyond the call of duty.

“There is no better way to recognize and express our appreciation for the valor, courage and bravery shown by our firefighters than the Medal of Honor,” Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, chairman of the Medal of Honor Commission, said in a prepared statement.

“After reviewing the nominations and learning the facts of each rescue, it was clear to members of the commission that each of these firefighters placed the life of others before their own and that their actions exemplify what it means to act above and beyond the call of duty.”

While off-duty on April 13, 2015, Ward rescued a wheelchair-bound woman who was inside a burning house.

“Despite the hot smoke, Ward, without any of his usual protective fire gear, crawled into the structure, reached the woman and pulled her to safety,” reads information from the attorney general’s office. Ward also saved two pets from perishing in the blaze.

On Sept. 25, 2015, Allen helped Bonneville County Sheriff deputies rescue a man from a submerged car that had crashed and overturned in an Idaho Falls irrigation canal.

“After trying several times to break into the vehicle, rescuers finally gained entry via a back door,” according to the office. “At that point, Allen, disregarding his own safety, climbed into the submerged vehicle, cut the victim free, pulled him from the car and got him to the banks of the canal and began providing first aid.”

Three Bonneville County Sheriff deputies were also awarded the Medal of Honor during the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial ceremony earlier this year.

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