ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

© 2025 ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

FCC Public Inspection Files:
· · ·
· · · · ·
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How a firefighter's quick action saved his friend's life

Portraits of Eugene (Eddie) Coleman and Ronald Osborne.
Glenna Osborne
Portraits of Eugene (Eddie) Coleman and Ronald Osborne.

This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.

In 2022, Glenna Osborne's father, Ronald Osborne, passed away. To prepare for his memorial service, the family went through his belongings. In the process, they came across a note that Ronald had written about his dear friend, Eddie Coleman. The two men were both firefighters and had battled blazes together for many years.

The note read, "For firefighter and special friend Eddie, who saved my life. John 15:13, 'Greater love has no one than to lay down one's life for one's friend.'"

Ronald had told his daughter and the rest of the family that Coleman had saved his life, but had never gone into detail. Curious to know more about her deceased father's history, Glenna reached out to Coleman and asked if he would tell her what had happened.

Coleman told her about the day when he was 21 and her father was 19. They'd been called to a house fire.

"When they arrived, they saw a two-story home engulfed in flames. And Eddie and my father ended up on the roof fighting this fire," Glenna said.

"My father went to take a step and he started to fall through the roof, and Eddie quickly reached in, grabbed the collar of [my father's] firefighter coat and somehow pulled him up to safety — away from what my father had once said would have been a sure death."

Before this event, the two men had been close. But the moment at the house fire bonded them together. They were friends until the day Ronald died.

Glenna is grateful that she learned Coleman's full story. It gave her a new understanding of her father's devotion to his friend.

"I'm so thankful that Eddie did this for my father and for my family... because without him, none of us would be here. So, we are just indebted to him for his courage and his quick thinking in the line of duty and the fact that he saved my father's life."

— new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Autumn Barnes
[Copyright 2024 NPR]

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø to live, work, and play.

Related Content