Public Safety Rescue Video Wins Savvy Award

The City of Corvallis has received the Savvy Award from the City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA) for a short video produced earlier this year about a dramatic rooftop rescue during a residential house fire in Corvallis. The award was announced at 3CMA’s annual conference in Denver on Sept. 5.

The video brought to life a gripping, life-or-death moment that took place in March, during the Corvallis Fire Department’s emergency response to a multifamily residential fire at 554 SW Jefferson Avenue in the city’s downtown. As firefighters battled the blaze, 911 dispatchers made contact with a woman trapped on the third floor of the burning building. Through careful coaching and coordination, the dispatchers were able to guide the woman out onto the roof of the building, where she was rescued by a firefighter who climbed a ladder to reach her.

The pivotal scene was captured on mobile video by a municipal employee and then provided to the City’s Public Information Officer. Additional content included audio of the 911 call and photos from the fire. The City engaged Silverman Studios, a Corvallis-based video production company, to pull together the material and combine it with a series of professionally produced interviews with the key players in the story: Firefighter Tom Robinson, 911 Dispatcher Heidi Ferguson, and Reichyl St. Onge, the trapped resident. (And her cat.)

The result was an energetic, tightly edited video that clocked in at 3 minutes and 33 seconds, perfectly packaged to share on social media.

Judges’ comments praised the “stunning visuals” and “compelling story” as part of their feedback. “This is a good example of using video to tell a story but choosing to do it in a way that is not overloaded with unnecessary details or unrelated content,” the judges wrote.

“This video had all the elements of a good story – compelling visuals, engaging characters, and a great outcome for all involved,” Rollens said. “Public safety stories don’t always have happy endings, so it’s important to shine a light on these successes whenever possible.”

The video is available to view on the City’s Vimeo page at https://vimeo.com/331289521.