Charlotte Fire's honors go to a firefighter who caught a woman falling from a third floor, a 12-time world champion captain and two staff who kept payroll running.

A Charlotte firefighter who caught a woman as she fell from a third-floor apartment breezeway has received Charlotte Fire’s Award for Bravery.

Firefighter Jerome Taylor is one of six people the department has honored this month. Charlotte Fire profiled each of them in a series of releases on the city’s news page from Oct. 9 to Oct. 14.

The honors

Award Who Service
Award for Bravery Firefighter Jerome Taylor Engine 8 at the time; now Firehouse 36
Officer of the Year Capt. Justin Miller Joined in 2003; captain at Firehouse 27
Firefighter of the Year Rahsarn “Rock” Jones 2002 to Sept. 11, 2026
Lifetime Achievement Capt. David Bowman 29 years; Firehouse 10
Civilian Lifetime Achievement Patricia Adams 32 years serving Charlotte firefighters
Civilian of the Year Leanne Decker Human resources

The catch

Engine 8 was called to an apartment complex at 2:45 a.m. March 4, the department said. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were already there and had asked for medical help for a woman who seemed confused.

Before firefighters could check her, she moved away from an officer and went up to the third floor. Taylor stayed on the second-floor breezeway. When the woman came over the third-floor railing, he caught her.

Taylor grabbed her belt and braced himself against the railing so neither of them went over. He estimated the breezeway was about 20 feet above the concrete. Medic arrived soon after, and the woman was taken to the hospital.

CMPD Officer Tai Webster, who was on the call, later contacted Charlotte Fire so Taylor’s actions would be recognized. “I’m a firm believer that you’ve got to recognize people for good work,” Webster said.

The other winners

Capt. Justin Miller, Officer of the Year. Miller joined Charlotte Fire at 19 in January 2003 and was sent to Firehouse 27 as a rookie. He is now a captain at the same firehouse. He helps train recruits in ladders, ventilation and rope rescue, the department said. “He understands that being an officer is about more than knowing the job,” Fire Chief Reginald Johnson said.

Rahsarn “Rock” Jones, Firefighter of the Year. Jones grew up in Charlotte’s Clanton Park neighborhood and graduated from Olympic High School. He started on Feb. 27, 2002, spent about 11 years at Firehouse 18 and moved to aircraft rescue and firefighting at the airport in 2014. He chose Sept. 11 for his retirement this year, the department said. “Treat these people like they’re your family and you’ll never go wrong,” Jones said.

Capt. David Bowman, Lifetime Achievement. Bowman, a Myers Park High School graduate, joined Recruit Class 50 in 1997. He has spent more than 20 years in Special Operations, including North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue and the North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team. He is also a 12-time world champion in the Firefighter Challenge and a member of its Hall of Fame, the department said.

Patricia Adams, Civilian Lifetime Achievement. Adams is the first person to receive the award. She joined the Charlotte Firefighters’ Retirement System in August 1994 and moved to Charlotte Fire in September 2012, handling payroll, benefits and retirement questions. She plans to retire Dec. 31, the department said.

Leanne Decker, Civilian of the Year. Decker works in Charlotte Fire’s human resources office on payroll, benefits and insurance. She came to the department from payroll jobs with the city of Charlotte and the city of Gastonia, the department said.

What it means for you