Oskaloosa Police Officer Rushes In To Help Two People To Safety

This body camera image shows the moment that Lt. John Plumb kicked in an apartment door, finding two individuals on a bed with heavy smoke filling their apartment. (Screen capture from Oskaloosa Police Body Camera.)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – It was a hectic night for police officers in Oskaloosa early Sunday morning, August 30th, 2020.

Oskaloosa Police Lieutenant John Plumb was busy with reports and calls when a fire call came in for Penwell Apartments on College Avenue in Oskaloosa.

Plumb arrived first on the scene and immediately began to check if everyone was accounted for.

Finding out that a woman and her child were unaccounted for in one of the apartments, Plumb went banging on her door, trying to get a response.

He got no immediate response and went to try and kick the door in. The heavy door wasn’t hot to the touch, so he proceeded again to kick against the heavy door.

After his sixth kick, the door burst open, and Lt. Plumb, with neighbors assistance, found a woman and a child asleep in the apartment. The woman and child were then whisked away from the heavy smoke inside the apartment.

Outside, Lt. Plumb and neighbors worked momentarily to help the fire department lay down fire hose to the apartment, then turned his attention back to the apartment fire victims.

He escorted the victims to the awaiting ambulance to be checked by paramedics from Mahaska Health.

Oskaloosa Police Chief Benjamin Boeke spoke about how not only his department members responded to this incident, but also the bystanders.

“I am extremely proud of the members of our Police Department and their commitment to this community. Lt. Plumb has been serving Oskaloosa since 1994 in various capacities within the Oskaloosa Police Department.”

“While I am extremely proud to see the lifesaving actions of not only Lt. Plumb, but also of the bystanders present during this fire, those of us in the field know that despite the narratives being pushed in some areas of the country and on national media, this is just how we do business on a daily basis. Saving lives and serving our communities is what we commit to doing when we take our Oath of Office. This community deserves our very best, and we take that commitment seriously.”