Chief Larry Farley is proud to announce that Firefighter Lora Stover was recognized as ‘Firefighter of the Year’ at the 2019 Fire and Crime Prevention Banquet hosted by the Noon Exchange Club of Murfreesboro on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Lora has been working full time with Rutherford County Fire Rescue since December 2018 when she was hired as one of the 15 new firefighters the department received through the FEMA SAFER Grant Program. Lora is also the only full-time female firefighter in the department.
Since her first day with RCFR, Lora has excelled beyond expectations and proven herself to be an asset to the department. As an EMT, Lora started using her skills to treat patients and provide quality patient care from the very beginning.
In December of 2018, Lora responded to a scene involving a patient with a gunshot wound; she and her partner worked tirelessly to preserve the life of the patient. Lora continued to treat the patient in the ambulance during transfer to the hospital. The patient did not survive; Lora offered support and comfort to the family which they greatly appreciated. A family member later sent a thank you note to Lora for her professionalism and hard work on behalf of their family member.
In January of 2019, Lora responded to a female patient’s cardiac arrest that her son had witnessed and called in. Upon arrival, Lora worked with a medic crew to start patient care without delay; the patient was not breathing and had no pulse, so CPR was initiated with Lora providing chest compressions and ventilation in the ambulance during transfer to the hospital. Just prior to arriving, the patient was revived and able to enter the hospital with her own heartbeat. Lora’s hard work and determination helped save the woman’s life that day. Lora is dedicated to continuing her professional development through training and is currently enrolled in Advanced EMT School.
The Noon Exchange Club of Murfreesboro has been serving the Murfreesboro Community in Middle Tennessee since October 1979. Its goal is to promote the spirit of Exchange by sponsoring other clubs through Elementary, High School, Collegiate and other Exchange Civic Clubs.
