Blackfoot firefighter to be given Idaho’s highest honor
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BOISE – A Blackfoot firefighter will be honored for putting another person’s life above his own.
Capt. Dave Krumenacker was selected to receive the state’s highest honor for performing with exceptional courage and bravery during a 2016 rescue attempt, according to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.
“It’s an honor to announce Capt Kremenacker as the latest recipient of the prestigious award,” said Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, chairman of the Medal of Honor Commission. “The commission salutes his exemplary service to the Blackfoot community.”
On June 14, 2016, Blackfoot Fire Department crews responded to a report of a car that drove into a home. The crash caused the home to quickly be engulfed in flames. When he arrived, Krumenacker learned an elderly man was trapped inside the house.
Krumenacker led a team into the burning building to rescue the man.
The team was successful in getting him out of the house. Firefighters administered CPR, but the man succumbed to his injuries.
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“What Capt. Krumenacker did that evening was extremely brave,” Wasden said. “He made the decision to put his personal safety aside and risk his own life to try and save that of another. That courage in the face of danger represents something all Idaho firefighters can be proud of.”
Krumenacker will receive the award Friday at 2 p.m. during the Idaho Fallen Firefighter Memorial Ceremony. The event will be held at Riverside Park, 1775 W. Shoreline Drive in Boise, according to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.
The Idaho Medal of Honor, created in 2014 by the state Legislature, is awarded by the governor to “professionals whose actions have been distinguished by the exceptional meritorious conduct at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.” It is the state’s highest honor for firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMS providers.