To Save a Life
Hometown Heroes: Jim Cox & Stephanie Cox
By Cindy Fertsch
How many times have you driven by as an emergency, an accident or occured? Many slow down to look while others make the first call to 911. While we all are sensitive to tragedy, most of us would not know what to do in emergency situations and would likely look to first responders to come to the rescue.
Not for Jim Cox and his daughter Stephanie Cox who were out running an errand in Marmora on February 10th when they noticed smoke and flames coming from a building. Firefighters were not yet on the scene and the father-daughter duo were concerned that occupants could be trapped in the second floor apartment above.
Luckily they stopped and followed their instincts. Jim Cox, owner of J. Cox Construction and his daughter saved two people that day from the second story building.
Calling out to one of the men trapped inside, they learned that the fire was blocking the only exit and the stairs were burning. Stephanie and Jim took out a twenty foot extension ladder they happened to have in their construction work van.
Jim and Stephanie place the ladder on the roof of their van in order to reach the second floor window. They held the ladder steady together as the two men climbed down.
It was only minutes before flames engulfed the entire building. Jim Cox wasn’t done yet though. When he noticed that one of the tenants was only wearing pajamas and had no socks, Jim went to his van an got him a pair of socks and a sweatshirt.
Jim and Stephanie, went on about their day with no interest in bearing the “hero” title. They simply did what they had to do with grace, compassion, and a brave spirit.
The Marmora Volunteer Fire Department arrived within 6 minutes and searched both floors for any additional occupants. Firefighters extinguished the fire and remained on the scene monitoring hotspots until 6:30 p.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
