ORLANDO, Fla. — Members of the Rapid City (S.D.) Fire Department were recognized as the recipients of the 2025 Ben Franklin Award for Valor at the IAFC’s Fire-Rescue International conference in Orlando on Thursday. The award recognizes exceptional acts of heroism by firefighters while saving human life.
Firefighter-Journeyman/AEMT Morgan Helton, Firefighter-Journeyman/Paramedic Nicholas Jasnoch and Firefighter-Journeyman/Paramedic Kyle Steen were honored for their work during a vehicle extrication and high-risk gas leak last year.
At 10:41 p.m. on April 9, 2024, a car traveling approximately 117 mph went airborne more than 50 feet and crashed into a three-story apartment building between the second and third floors. The impact ruptured a gas line, causing major structural damage and triggering an explosive leak that threatened dozens of residents in the 61-unit complex…