CHAPEL HILL, TN – Normally, Captain Tyler Benefield is the one responding when disaster strikes… Serving as a captain at Plainview Fire Station #55, one of the newest stations providing aid to Southeast Rutherford County, Benefield oversees crews that respond to a wide range of emergencies—from serious auto accidents to structure fires. But on Friday night, while he was on shift protecting others, the unthinkable happened to him (GoFundMe).
Captain Benefield and his wife, Harlee, lost everything when their Chapel Hill home caught fire. The sound of smoke alarms alerted Harlee to the danger, giving her just enough time to escape. There was no opportunity to save the couple’s beloved dogs, and she fled with only the clothes she was wearing.
Over the course of his career, Benefield has answered countless emergency calls. He has helped save lives, rescued unconscious victims from overturned vehicles, and trained firefighters under his command in the skills necessary to do the same. Time and again, he has put his own life at risk so others could live…