Sarah Buhs, Cloquet Area Fire Department public education coordinator, was chosen for the Hometown Hero award by the American Red Cross of Northern Minnesota.
The purpose of the Hometown Hero award is to recognize someone who makes a difference in a specific area, said Dan Williams, executive director of the American Red Cross of Northern Minnesota.
“She is the epitome of that with her car seat program and fire safety program,” Williams said.
The organization partners with several entities, including CAFD, Williams said. The Red Cross of Northern Minnesota installed 1,968 smoke detectors in at-risk homes since January 2015. He said 1,500 were through Buhs’ program.
“We promote safety as much as we can,” Buhs said.
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Williams said five people were confirmed to have their lives saved when their alarm from Buhs' home installation program alerted them to a fire in their home in 2019.
Buhs said she was surprised when she received a call from Williams earlier in the spring. He told her to watch for a package in the mail. When it arrived, she was not to open it until their online meeting. She said she was surprised when she opened the package.
"I was not expecting it (the award)" Buhs said. "I enjoy doing this. It's a great job."
Instead of the traditional award ceremony, Buhs was honored during a virtual ceremony due to the pandemic.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the CAFD website .
