More than two dozen first responders with the City of Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Department were honored Friday morning for their actions following the deadly crash of a Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue helicopter into an apartment building back in August.
The 2024 Annual Awards, Promotions, Graduation & Retirement Ceremony paid special tribute to the 34 fire rescue personnel who received the Company of the Year award.
"August 28, 2023, will be remembered not just as a day marked by the harrowing event when the Broward Sheriff's Fire Rescue helicopter Air 85 tragically fell out of the sky into an apartment complex, killing a flight paramedic and a resident inside her apartment, but also a day of courage and compassion," Strategic Communications Administrator Sandra King said. "Two apartments were fully engulfed in fire, and the roof had collapsed with the chopper inside the building. Then, there was an explosion."
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King went on to describe how first responders worked to get the fire under control, and also help residents inside the apartment building get out safely.
"In total, there were five patients taken to the hospital," King said. "While the incident claimed two lives, the heroic actions by all those involved has earned them Company of the Year."
This past September, in the days after the crash, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report about what caused the incident.
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Officials said that the helicopter went down before 9 a.m. on Aug. 28 in the area of North Dixie Highway and Atlantic Boulevard, southwest of the Pompano Beach Airpark, while en route to a car crash involving a mother and her 4-year-old son in North Lauderdale.
The pilot on board the helicopter reportedly heard a "bang" from the back of the chopper, and soon saw flames. The chopper crashed shortly thereafter, killing crewmember Battalion Chief Terryson Jackson and resident Lurean Wheaton, 65.
"In the shadow of the horrific August 28 helicopter crash, there emerged a story of extraordinary courage and heroism," King said. "Jerriel Moreland, an employee at nearby Bentley Roofing, and his wife, Jessica, witnessed the immediate aftermath of the crash."
Moreland was honored as Citizen of the Year, after helping first responders who were on the roof of the apartment building where the helicopter had crashed.
"His quick thinking and knowledge of aircraft fuel risks -- knowledge he learned from years as an employee at Pompano Airpark -- propelled him to secure a ladder, vault a fence, and come to the aid of the stranded flight crew that was on the roof and injured," King said. "With steady hands and a calm demeanor, he provided a path to safety for those perilously trapped."
Moreland was surrounded by family as he accepted his award Friday, humbled by the experience.
"Just trying to be a good citizen," he said. "Help somebody out."
Also during Friday's ceremony, Steve Hudson was sworn in as Fire Chief, replacing Chad Brocato.
"One of the key takeaways is every award that we stand up here and give, that's peer-driven. That's not us. We don't pick the people who we think are Paramedic of the Year, Firefighter of the Year. That comes from those folks. So, thank you for doing what you do," Hudson said, motioning to the first responders in the audience. "We got a long road ahead, lot of challenges, but I look forward to it."
