INDEPEDENCE:The actions of Bath resident Jerry Schorr during July of 2011 were the reasons Bath Police Chief Mike McNeely nominated Schorr for an FBI Citizens’ Academy Foundation Heroes Award in the Citizen category. Schorr was subsequently selected for the award, which he received at a Hometown Heroes’ awards ceremony Nov. 16.
Schorr was instrumental in the rescue of an 81-year-old neighbor with Alzheimer’s disease, who had wandered away from his home on July 24, according to McNeely. Bath safety forces initiated an extensive three-day search and rescue operation during what McNeely described as oppressive 90-degree plus heat.
In the nomination form, McNeely described how Schorr became involved:
“While on his back deck, he heard a faint cry for help. Quickly, Mr. Schorr notified Bath police 9-1-1. He met responding officers and pointed out the area from where the call for help was heard. Mr. Schorr led rescue personnel into the swampy marsh sustaining cuts from the many briars. Approximately 300 yards into the swamp, Mr. Schorr and Bath safety forces personnel found the 81-year old missing person stuck in the muck, unable to move.”
As rescue personnel attended to the missing man, Schorr began clearing a pathway through briars to enable those personnel to get the elderly neighbor to safety, said McNeely.
“Great communities consist of citizens willing to respond to the call for help from their fellow man,” wrote McNeely, commending Schorr for helping to save his neighbor’s life.
The FBI Citizens’ Academy Foundation of Cleveland is a non-profit public service organization that works to improve understanding and encourage appreciation of law enforcement among citizenry and community leaders. The Heroes Awards were established to promote that mission and to provide community recognition in the categories of Safety Forces, Citizen Hometown Hero and Unsung Hero.
This was the first year for these awards to honor Hometown Heroes, according to McNeely.
