EAST POINT, Ga. — A East Point fireman is being honored after his heroic efforts during a house fire earlier this month.
On March 20, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire at 3475 Scenic Drive. Although all residents escaped from the house, two dogs remained inside. Once crews located the dogs and brought them to safety outdoors, they noticed that one was unresponsive. That's when East Point fireman Gerrell Lilly sprung into action administering CPR compressions on the seemingly lifeless dog, "Frisky."
"I figured it would be probably like a person. It's the same kind of set up basically. I started doing compressions on the dog, and then we put some oxygen on him,” said Lilly.
Tense moments for the Zack family as they watched on the sidelines. After a few cycles of CPR and supplemental oxygen, the unconscious dog began to breathe and both dogs were happily returned to their owner. Investigators say the fire was most likely caused by an appliance.
On March 29, 2019, Firefighter Lilly was honored with a proclamation from Georgia’s Safety Fire Commissioner, Jim Beck, as a recipient of "Firefighter Friday." This award is for his dedication to the fire service through his life-saving act of heroism.
Lilly has received an outpouring of community support since his original story broke. Locals have donated pet oxygen masks to Lilly to assist him during fires. He also recently received a message from someone via Facebook who saved a young horse from being slaughtered and named the horse after Firefighter Lilly.
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