Richmond County sheriff's sergeant recounts pulling unconscious man from burning house

Richmond County sheriff's Sgt. Eard Trimmingham didn't think twice about running into a burning house without any protective equipment on March 5, 2019, when he found out there was a man inside who needed saving.

Trimmingham worked 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the call came in near the end of his shift.

When he arrived at 1241 Tenth Street, he saw the home engulfed in flames and heard a woman screaming from inside the front door.

One of his deputies pried open the front door, which happened to be a metal security door locked with a deadbolt, and brought her to safety.

However, after she got out, she told Trimmingham that her uncle was still inside.

The fire department had not arrived yet and Trimmingham knew the home was filled with smoke, approximating that it had been burning for at least 10 minutes.

"To be honest with you, I didn't think about anything," Trimmingham said. "As soon as she said that somebody was inside the house, I was just like, 'OK, well, something needs to be done.' I got in, got on my knees, and started calling for her uncle, but didn't get a response. I was hoping he was by the door, but when I felt around, I didn't feel anything. I advanced further inside the house, into the living room area, and I was feeling around because I couldn't see anything. I was coughing my lungs out when I felt something, grabbed him, and dragged him out."

When Trimmingham got close to the front door, he yelled for help and the other deputies helped bring the man out to safety.

"When we got him outside, the other deputies started CPR because he was unconscious," he said. "I was gasping for breath so I wasn't involved with the CPR, but I saw smoke puffing out of his lungs and all of a sudden, thank God, he started breathing."

If Trimmingham had waited for the fire department, the man likely would not have made it.

"He was in bad shape," he said. "They rushed him to the hospital and he was in the ICU for a couple of days, but he survived."

Following the fire, Trimmingham went back to the house, which was a total loss, but was never able to get information about where the man relocated.

"I don't look at it like a hero thing," he said. "If I was in that situation, I would like somebody to help me. My main concern was getting him out and the fact that he survived that was amazing to me."

However, that was not his only bold save.

Trimmingham was also recognized more than 10 years ago for saving a 3-year-old girl's life.

One day, he was patrolling an apartment complex on Boy Scout Road and a little boy flagged him down. He pulled over and the boy told Trimmingham his sister was choking.

"I followed him inside the apartment's [main] office and there was a 3-year-old girl choking," he said. "The office manager gave her a candy and she swallowed the entire [thing], getting it stuck in her throat. I did the Heimlich maneuver and the candy flew out of her mouth.

Again, Trimmingham's quick response led to a life saved.

"When I saw the girl choking, instinct took over right away," he said. "You can't hesitate because life might get lost if you hesitate. I just do what I have to do and hope for the best."

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Trimmingham's background, work as a volunteer fireman prior to law enforcement

Trimmingham was born in the Caribbean and moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was 12 years old.

While it seems Trimmingham was destined him to work in law enforcement, given his strong instincts and skillset, he actually decided in high school that he wanted to be a lawyer after participating in mock trials. He went to college for pre-law, but finances ultimately led him in a different direction.

He started working in transit and later became a manager for a group home for the mentally disabled.

While working at the group home, Trimmingham became an EMT and volunteer firefighter at Jericho Fire Department in New York, where he served during the 9/11 attacks.

"The guys inside the city didn't want to leave because those were their guys [inside]," he said. "So we were covering their firehouse while they were at Ground Zero."

Trimmingham said a few men from his department went to Ground Zero after the buildings collapsed, but luckily, they all made it out safe. He did, however, lose one friend, Port Authority Police Officer George Howard, in the attack.

"The thing about it was he was home, off duty, when [the attacks] happened," Trimmingham said. "He went into the city and never came back out. That's something that I'll never forget."

He served with the fire department for a couple of years after 9/11 and moved to Vermont in 2005 to become a corrections officer.

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Trimmingham moved to Georgia to be close with his parents in 2006 and continued working in corrections, before becoming a sworn deputy in 2009.

He has been with the Richmond County Sheriff's Office ever since, climbing the ranks to sergeant.

Aside from his dedication to the community, two of his four children have also chosen to serve.

One of his daughters is retired military and his youngest son wants to pursue a career in law enforcement.

"He called me last month and said, 'I think I'm going to follow in your footsteps," Trimmingham said. "I said, 'Don't mess with me boy.' He's going to come down and join me here in the near future."

This story is part series honoring area law enforcement officers during National Police Week.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Richmond County sheriff's sergeant recounts his many heroic calls