Honorees

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Year Honored
1994
Honoree
James E Montgomery
Agency
Nashville Fire Dept Ambulance Division
Agency City
Nashville
Agency State
TN
Last Call
1/14/80
Cause of Death
Other Trauma
Biography
Eddie Montgomery loved the rain because it made more caves for exploring! Caving was a great love of his. He and his wife, Sandra, were expert cavers and had taught climbing and caving to many people. Skills he learned while caving were put to use in rappelling from helicopters and cliffs. He was a member of the National Speleological Society and the Nashville Grotto Club.<br /> <br /> Eddie believed in service to others, always above and beyond the call of duty, and without thought to his personal safety.<br /> <br /> Friends teased him about having nine lives--he was shot at while on duty, his ambulance caught fire when the gas tank exploded, and his ambulance wrecked on a snow-covered road--all without injury to Eddie. However, Eddie was the first paramedic to die in the line of duty in Davidson County, Tennessee. He died on January 14, 1980, at the age of 32 in an attempt to rescue three construction workers trapped inside a sewer pipe. Eddie over extended his oxygen supply in the confined space and was overcome by carbon monoxide.<br /> <br /> After serving two tours of duty as a Marine in Vietnam, Eddie enrolled in an emergency medical technician class at the University of Tennessee. Later he became the teacher, teaching first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and diving classes. He was an active member of the Metro Firefighters Association and Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Eddie and Sandra had one daughter, Allison.<br /> <br /> Honored 1994