CONWAY – Jonathan Martin may have two left feet when he hits the dance floor, but when it comes to crawling, no one does it better.

Martin, a member of the Conway Volunteer Fire Department, used that mode of movement to feel his way through a smoke-filled residence last week where he rescued a man from certain death.

For that significant accomplishment, Martin was presented the prestigious “Golden Helmet Award” from the American Red Cross during a brief ceremony on Tuesday at the CVFD station.

“It’s an honor to be recognized, but I didn’t rescue that man by myself,” said a humbled Martin on Wednesday. “It was a team effort….starting with Joe Flythe, the driver of our engine truck, getting us to the fire scene safely; to Bruce (Davis, also a CVFD member) and Josh (Britt, a member of the Severn Volunteer Fire Dept.) on the hose line; to Chief (Ed) Porter (Gaston VFD); to the Northampton County EMS crew that was ready to revive the victim….everyone did their job. That’s who saved this man’s life.”

Martin said the rescue effort was as described in a story published in Tuesday’s edition of the News-Herald.

“We played it right by the book, just as we were trained,” Martin said. “Four of us went in; two remained on the hose line just in case water was needed, and the other two searched for the victim.”

The “other two” were Martin and Porter.

“We could barely see our hands in front of our faces, that’s how heavy the smoke was in the house,” Martin recalled. “You just feel your way through the smoke.

“We were searching in one of the bedrooms and I made my way towards a bathroom located off that bedroom….that’s where I found the victim and Ed and I were able to get him outside,” Martin added.

Martin said the victim – Kenneth Miggins – did not appear burned by the fire. However, he had passed out from smoke inhalation.

“We constantly train for scenarios such as we faced last week,” Martin said. “One of those training sessions was inside a smoke-filled room where you have to locate a mannequin and pull it to safety.”

When CVFD members were alerted to the March 6 structure fire at 237 Edwards Town Street in Pendleton, Martin and his fellow firemen were at the station, engaged in ladder training.

“We were able to get a head start on responding to the fire over in Pendleton because we were already at the station,” Martin noted. “Otherwise we would have to leave our homes or jobs, rush to the station and then rush to the fire scene.”

Those precious minutes saved were perhaps what led to Miggins not becoming a fire fatality. One of the Northampton EMS crew members at the scene told CVFD Chief Joe Barrett if the firefighters had not responded as quickly as they did, Miggins may not have survived.

James Tilley, representing the American Red Cross, awarded Martin the “Golden Helmet Award” for the role he played in saving a life.

That effort did not come as a surprise to Ray Felton, owner of Metal Tech of Murfreesboro where Martin is employed as an Engineer/Project Manager.

“Jonathan is an extraordinary guy here at work and giving back to his community as a volunteer fireman,” Felton said. “He is among a select group of people who have heeded the call to be a volunteer and put in the amount of time they do to constantly train and become better firemen or rescue squad personnel. I really appreciate what volunteers, like Jonathan Martin, do for their community.

“It’s a dangerous job they do, but it’s a great service to those who live and work in towns and cities all across our nation,” Felton continued. “As a volunteer they put aside whatever they’re doing at that particular moment and rush to the scene of a call for help. They put everything on the line, including their lives, every time that fire whistle blows.”

Felton did, however, point out one thing Martin struggles to master.

“Of all the many accomplishments he has achieved in his young life, the one thing Jonathan cannot do is dance,” Felton laughed.

But he can crawl through smoke to save a life.