The city of Henderson recognized a Circle K employee for its Community Spotlight award after his quick thinking and courage prevented what could have been a very bad situation.
Jermaine Johnson is an employee of the convenience store on U.S 41 North. While working at about 9:30 a.m. on April 6, Johnson saw a vehicle on fire at a gas pump.
According to the description of the incident read by City Clerk Jessa Brandon at Tuesday’s city commission meeting, “Johnson exited the store and attempted to extinguish the flames using a fire extinguisher.”
When the fire under the hood of the car was not extinguished, “…he then took further action—entering the burning vehicle, placing it into neutral, and physically pushing it away from the gas pumps and out from the under the awning before the fire could fully intensify,” said Brandon.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Johnson said he had to respond and couldn’t hesitate.
“A lot of lives were in danger, including mine,” said Johnson, a cook at Circle K.
He said he tried to put the fire out, but it was underneath the hood, and there was a chance that the fire would grow if he popped the hood, said Johnson, a 10-year veteran of the Marines.
Knowing that, Johnson said it had to be moved out from under the awning and away from the pumps.
“It’s got to move, so that’s what I did,” he said.
Brandon said, “His swift and selfless actions averted what could have become a catastrophic incident, protecting not only his workplace but also the safety of numerous individuals in the area.”
