It’s not often that police training academy candidates end up being partners together on a police force just a few years later, but that’s exactly what happened to Brookfield Police officers Amber Johnson and Luke Switalski.
The two would use that bond to save a women’s life in a house fire in the City of Brookfield.
Responding to a call of a bedridden elderly female in need of help, the two officers risked their own lives to rescue a woman who was not able to escape the house on her own.
Arriving on scene, Switalski – who is the son of a firefighter – grabbed a fire extinguisher and cleared a path to the woman. Both officers struggled to see through the smoke.
As they worked to get the woman out of a back bedroom in the house, the fire began to ramp up.
Eventually, they would all make it out safely.
Officer Johnson remembered the moment they all made it outside the house.
“I had tears running down my eyes, whether it was the smoke or the emotions, it was just an incredible experience. It was all very real at that point,” Johnson recalled.
For their incredible heroism and willingness to put their own lives at risk to save the life of others, Brookfield Police officers Amber Johnson and Luke Switalski are Salute to Service co-honorees.
To hear Brookfield Police Officers Johnson and Switalski’s story, listen above.
Steve Scaffidi’s Salute to Service is presented by WaterStone Bank and WTMJ.