John Coffelt, Editor

What started as a small puff of smoke rising in the distance from a home on Powell Drive could have cost a local family their lives if not for the decisive action of a Manchester Police officer. 

On Feb. 9, Manchester Police Sgt. Benton Brown noticed the smoke coming from the vicinity of a house while he was waiting to escort a funeral procession from Central Funeral Home.

According to a commendation letter presented to Brown during the March 3 Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, that small tuff of smoke soon became a column of black smoke.

“Acting immediately on his observations and without hesitation, Sgt. Brown responded to investigate the source,” the citation said.

Brown arrived at the residents to find the rear porch fully engulfed in flames and threatening to spread into the main structure. Most concerning, the residents of the home did not know their house was on fire.

Brown quickly worked to get the family out of the burning structure. Those occupants included a toddler, three adults and two family dogs.

“Sgt. Brown’s decisive action occurred moments before flames broke through the soffit and began shooting from the attic space. Given the speed of which the fire spread, exacerbated by strong gusting winds, there is little doubt that his alertness and quick action prevented potential loss of life,” the commendation read.

Brown was recognized for his actions before the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen during the March 3 meeting.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.