The actions of Laois Garda and his colleague were recognised at a ceremony as they both received National medals for Bravery.
Laois Garda Padraig Marum and his partner on that night, Shane Smyth, were less than a year on the job when their heroism saved a man from a burning vehicle.
They both received Silver Medals for Bravery from the Council of Comhairle na Míre Gaile on Friday at a ceremony in St Stephen’s Green.
Since 1974, only 116 silver medal awards have been presented for acts of heroism.
Garda Padraig, who is from Portlaoise but lives in Ballyroan with his wife Danielle, son James and daughter Eábha, only passed out from Templemore in November, 2018.
Less than a year later, the following September, while stationed in Naas, he and Garda Smyth were called to attend a serious incident.
A car had crashed into a ditch near the M7 and when Garda Marum and Smyth arrived, a man was trapped inside with flames beginning to spark.
Speaking to LaoisToday, Padraig recalled: “When we arrived, a patrol van was there and the car was in the ditch and there were flames coming out of it, not big ones at the time.
“We went to check the car but it was so embedded in the ditch that we actually had to crawl through the ditch to get near the driver’s door.
“The man inside was now shouting for help so we were trying to get him out. The driver door would not open as it was simply wedged against the ditch.
“We were trying the passenger door but were encountering the same problem and all of the time, the flames were starting to get bigger.
“I’m not sure whether it was because they were going through the engine or they were gathering momentum from the ditch, but they were getting bigger and hotter.”
Garda Marum and Smyth knew that this was quickly becoming a dire situation and feared that the car would soon explode – possibly killing the man inside and even themselves as they tried to rescue him.
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Padraig said: “We pulled back and assessed the situation. I ran to get the fire extinguisher from the patrol car but when I went to use it, it malfunctioned.
“Now the flames were really big so it was a case that we had to do something now or we would be dealing with a fatality.
“We climbed back into the ditch on the passenger’s side and Shane broke the window with a tool. We reached in, grabbed the man, and pulled him out.
“Then we all ran for it because at this stage, the flames had basically engulfed the whole car.
“As we were running, there was an explosion but we managed to hide behind the patrol van to save ourselves from the blast.
“The explosion sent the flames up to the top of the trees but thankfully everyone was safe.”
Garda Padraig and Garda Shane’s quick thinking ultimately saved the man’s life.
Padraig said: “At the time, we weren’t able to think too much about what was happening.
“It was all split second stuff and afterwards the fire brigade came to put out the blaze.
“I suppose if we didn’t get to the scene as soon as we did, the man may have died so we were lucky.
“The man was taken away to hospital but thankfully he was fine afterwards.”
Padraig and Shane are both now stationed in Clane in Kildare and while nothing as dramatic has happened to them since – Padraig says every day on the job is different.
We hear so much lately about Garda discontent and retention issues – and while Padraig says there are challenges, he loves the job.
He said: “My road to this point took a long time as I was actually a Garda Reserve from 2012.
“It was a job I was looking to get into for a long time but they stopped recruitment during the Recession.
“I kept going at it and I eventually got in. It was unfortunate in some ways it took so long but then in another sense, maybe it was better because I was more mature when the opportunity came.
“I know there is a lot of stuff going on at the minute but I do enjoy the job and intend to keep going at it.”
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Padraig was joined at the ceremony by his mother and his son James.
His wife Danielle was unable to attend as she had a graduation to attend in Wexford at the same time – having qualified in childcare.
Padraig said: “Danielle now has a Degree in childcare and her graduation is at the same time in Wexford so my daughter Eábha is with her.
“We are splitting the family for the day but that’s the nature of our lives I guess.
“James is coming with me as the night of the incident was actually my first night back after him being born.
“He was born in August and I had taken paternity leave plus holidays but that ended when I went in on the night shift on that day in September.
“It was strange looking back now that I had become a father for the first time and then this happened all in quick space of time – but thankfully it all worked out well.”
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