November 27, 2007 - Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Police Chief Sterling Owen today awarded the Knoxville Police Department's Life Saving Award to Sgt. John Kiely for his quick actions that saved the life of a crash victim. Sgt. Kiely has been with the department since December 1998.

Chief Owen said that on October 18, 2007 at approximately 11:05 p.m., Sgt. Kiely was patrolling the Westview neighborhood when he came upon a vehicle that had gone off the roadway and collided with a tree. The vehicle occupant was unconscious and unresponsive and was trapped in the vehicle behind the steering wheel. A fire had also ignited inside the vehicle.

Sgt. Kiely immediately retrieved his fire extinguisher and began fighting the fire while calling for additional units to respond with their extinguishers. Sgt. Kiely continued to fight back the flames until the fire department arrived and was able to completely extinguish the flames. The victim was then extricated from the vehicle and transported to UT Medical Center in critical condition.

Chief Owen said, "Had Sgt. Kiely not been patrolling this area and located the collision, the fire would have engulfed the vehicle which would have resulted in the death of the occupant. His swift and decisive actions to control the fire and to summon additional resources are the only reason this collision was not a fatality."

Mayor Haslam said, "Sgt. Kiely's quick and calm response saved the life of this victim. We commend him for a job well done."

Sgt. Kiely will receive a signed certificate from the mayor and chief.