The Milwaukee Hearth Division named bus driver Chanaye Brown “honorary chief of the day” after speeding right into a burning condominium and saving the lives of its residents.
On January 5, Brown was driving late at night time alongside Route 12 when she observed flames coming from an condominium’s window close to 79th and Hampton in Milwaukee.
Brown calmly knowledgeable a passenger that the home is on hearth. She then introduced the bus to a cease and rushed to the door of the constructing.
“I principally stopped the bus proper there and hopped off the bus and ran as much as the condominium constructing and began banging on the door, making an attempt to ring the doorbell. I heard children in there and I sort of panicked just a little extra. So that’s what made me begin getting just a little bit louder and simply yelling and getting everyone’s consideration,” Brown mentioned.
When she lastly acquired the eye of some residents, they acquired terrified and rapidly evacuated. Sadly, some children had been left contained in the constructing and as quickly as she heard the little voices, Brown bumped into the burning condominium unit.
Utilizing a hearth extinguisher, she tried to place out the hearth but it surely was not working correctly. “Simply full drive, simply act, go,” Brown mentioned. “I don’t know, I suppose I simply felt prefer it was one thing that I wanted to do.”
Quickly after, police and firefighters arrived on the scene and removed the hearth. Nobody was damage within the incident however the Milwaukee Hearth Division was so grateful for Brown’s distinctive bravery.
“The Milwaukee Hearth Division is happy with the actions and fast considering of Chanaye Brown, leading to minimal hearth as an alternative of what most certainly would have been a full-fledged construction hearth,” mentioned Lieutenant Michael Ball, Neighborhood Relations Director for the Milwaukee Hearth Division.
“Due to her actions in calling the hearth division first, alerting residents, and making an attempt to assist extinguish the hearth, not solely was nobody damage, minimal injury occurred to the constructing — permitting the remainder of the residents to return to their residences fairly than be displaced.”
She was additionally counseled by Milwaukee County Govt Chris Abele, expressing his gratitude to the devoted women and men at MCTS who preserve the county residents secure daily.
Due to her heroic actions, Brown was named “honorary chief of the day.” She additionally joined the Crimson Cross and firefighters in handing out smoke detectors. In response to Brown, she did simply what any good mother would do.
She mentioned, “I identical to to have a look at it like I used to be doing one thing that I would love any person to do if it was my children in that predicament. That’s how I really feel any time I’m out right here driving a route and I see or hear one thing happening. I simply take into consideration my children and that’s what makes me do a number of the issues that I do.”
In relation to this initiative, Lieutenant Mike Ball of the Milwaukee Hearth Division emphasised the significance of getting a smoke alarm and an escape plan to assist save lives and properties.
Through the Milwaukee Hearth Division’s annual Meritorious Service Awards Ceremony, Brown will probably be given a Neighborhood Hero Award.
Brown is an ideal exemplar of the saying “not all heroes put on capes” and if everybody can be as courageous and as selfless as her, the world can be a safer and a significantly better place.
Watch this video and see how Chanaye Brown braved the blazing hearth and saved the lives of the kids:
