U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse presented Quincy, Washington, police officer Stephen Harder with the Carnegie Medal for Heroism at a June 20 ceremony held at Quincy City Hall. Pictured are Newhouse presenting the award to Harder with police Chief Ryan Green and city Administrator Pat Haley clapping in the background.
Harder was awarded the Carnegie Medal in March 2024 for saving a woman from burning inside her Quincy, Washington, house in a Jan. 10, 2023, fire.
A fire broke out in the home of a 67-year-old woman who suffered from long-term illnesses and utilized home oxygen. The woman was unresponsive on the kitchen floor of her one-story house after a fire ignited in the living room, where there were oxygen cylinders. Her daughter retreated outside, called 911, and told the dispatcher that her mother remained inside. Before firefighters responded, on-duty police officer Stephen Harder, 38, and an accompanying detective, arrived on the scene and saw smoke issuing from the house. Harder, who was a former firefighter, opened the front door and saw flames in the living room. He and the detective went to the rear door of the house and opened it to smoke filling a hallway from the ceiling to a point about 18 inches off the floor. Harder and the detective crawled along the narrow hallway and turned into the kitchen. He found the woman unresponsive on the ground with the flames about 10 feet away. He grabbed her and pulled her to him. Crawling backward with her, he entered the hallway. The detective by then had returned to the rear porch for fresh air after she was overcome by the smoke. Harder pulled the woman to the doorway, where he was helped by the detective to carry the woman from the house. Outside, the woman was revived, and she was taken to a hospital. Harder and the detective both inhaled smoke but were medically cleared at a hospital.
“We’re here today to recognize the bravery of my new friend, Sgt. Stephen Harder of the Quincy Police Department for his bravery in the face of danger,” Newhouse said.
“I believe Sgt. Harder is the true embodiment of a dedicated first responder, and we are very fortunate to have him help protect our communities…we’re safer, knowing that we have people like Sgt. Harder who are willing to risk their safety in order to help those of us in danger.”
Harder felt honored to receive the award.
“It’s one of those things where on that day you weren’t really thinking, you were just acting – just responding and doing your job,” Harder said. “It’s humbling, it’s awesome, it’s really cool. Lots of cops, firefighters and first responders do this sort of thing all the time and they don’t get recognized for it, so it’s humbling to be one of the guys who gets recognized for it.”