ST PAUL, Minn. — Not often do first responders do something so heroic that their colleagues take notice. But on Jan. 3, St. Paul firefighters Jacob Ryks and Mason Conlin did just that.
"Some of the stuff that they did really, really humbled me as the fire chief, and I've been on for 30 years," said St. Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks.
On Jan. 3, six young children and their mother were trapped inside their St. Paul home. Ryks and Conlin ended up rescuing five of the kids, giving them a chance to survive. Tragically four of them passed away at the hospital.
"Each time they emerged, they carried an unconscious child, passing the victims to waiting EMS providers, before plunging back into the smoke filled home," said Minnesota 100 Club Executive Director Julie Gotham.
On Thursday, the two were presented with firefighter of the year awards by the Minnesota 100 Club. The non-profit provides financial assistance to families who lost a first responder in the line of duty.
"This isn't my award," said Ryks. "This is the award for everyone that was there that day. This is the award for everyone in the ER and the ICU."
Ryks and Conlin met each other the morning of the fire, but became best friends since. The two united through their heroism.
"Any other job, or most other jobs, you leave work and you are done with work, but this one it's kinda like all of you, it's everything that you do," Conlin said.
"For me personally, loving my kids the way I do, loving my wife the way I do, that's why I go into a burning building, because somebody loves those people just as much as I love my people," Ryks added.
The two were also awarded the inaugural Mayors Medal of Honor at St. Paul's State of the City address earlier this year.