SALT LAKE CITY -- A burning car on Interstate 215 and a capsized boat in freezing-cold Great Salt Lake gave two Top of Utah residents the chance to earn the American Red Cross Hero Award.
The American Red Cross Greater Salt Lake Chapter honored Jason Day, of Syracuse, and Kathy Jo Hall, of Kaysville, on Wednesday during an awards luncheon at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
Day, 27, was given the Adult Good Samaritan Award, and Hall was given the Law Enforcement Hero Award.
"It's exciting to be getting the award," Day said. "At first I felt out of place. There are a lot of people out there who are deserving of the award."
Last March, Day was driving home from work on I-215 when he saw a car smoking on the side of the road. As he approached the car, he noticed a woman inside.
"I hit the brakes pretty hard and even skidded a little bit," he said. "I saw that it wasn't just smoke, but there was fire coming out of the car, too."
Day pulled over and ran up to the car. The woman, whose name is Jackie, was still wearing her seatbelt and talking on her cell phone. At first, she refused to get out of the car.
"I told her the car was on fire, and that's when she got out in a panic," he said. "We ran away from the car and called 911."
The flames were shooting three or four feet out of the back of the car and were getting very close to the gas tank, Day said.
"Another gentleman came over with his fire extinguisher, but it wasn't enough to put out the fire," Day said. "He told me he had two more in his car, so we ran and got them and headed back to the car."
As they approached Jackie's car, Day said, he heard a hissing sound, so he grabbed the other man and told him to back up.
The car didn't blow up, but the fire ruptured the gas tank, sending huge balls of fire through the air.
"The whole thing took about four or five minutes from the time I pulled over to the time the car was engulfed with fire," Day said.
Day's heroic efforts didn't stop there. As the owner of a carwash and detailing business, he held a fundraiser to help Jackie get into a new vehicle. Willie Honda of Bountiful also contributed.
Day said people have told him they wouldn't dare stop for such an incident for various reasons, but Day said he'd do it again.
"As a society we can't be afraid. We need to help other people. If someone is in trouble, you help them out. Practice the Golden Rule," he said.
Hall, 38, works as a 911 dispatcher for the state of Utah. She is credited for saving the lives of two men whose boat capsized on Great Salt Lake on Jan. 2, 2009.
"The men were duck hunting and their boat capsized," said Cameron Roden, trooper and public information officer for Utah Highway Patrol. "While they were hanging on, one of the men pulled out his cell phone and was transferred into our dispatch center."
During the 911 call, which is posted at www.911dispatch.com, one of the men told Hall he and his friend were freezing. One couldn't feel his hands; the other couldn't feel his knee.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry," said the man who called in to Hall. "We're going to drown any minute."
During the call, Hall remained calm, asking the man every few seconds if he and his friend were OK.
"Hang on tight," she said. "Help is on the way."
Hall was also able to get the latitude and longitude of their whereabouts on the lake from the man's cell phone, which helped the rescue team find them.
"They were frustrated and scared and very cold," Roden said. "Kathy did a great job in helping them stay calm and in getting the rescue boats out to them."
Roden said Hall told him she was honored to receive the award but feels like she was just doing her job as a dispatcher. She declined an interview for this story.
Each year the American Red Cross highlights ordinary local citizens who have done something extraordinary to save a life or make the community a better and safer place to live.
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