Covington, VA (May 6, 2026)— During last night's Covington City Council work session, held May 5, 2026, two individuals were honored with the Lifesaving Award for the heroism they displayed a little more than a month ago which saved two lives during a structure fire.
Around 8:23 p.m. on the night of March 26, 2026, Shane Byer, a volunteer at the Covington Fire Department, and Sgt. Chris Spraker, an officer with the Covington Police Department, went above and beyond the call of duty. "Upon arrival, at approximately 8:25, it was determined that the house had no active flames, but there was a significant amount of smoke inside slowly escaping through the vent at the top of the house," Police Chief C.J. Smith stated. "While the officers were actually waiting for the fire apparatus to respond, information started coming in from the neighbors about the potential of being...somebody inside the house."
Shortly thereafter, firefighters began pulling up, joining police who'd first arrived on the scene. It wound up being Shane Byer who was able to get through the front door and start calling out for victims. "When he opened the door, he [Byer] quickly discovered somebody laying on the floor right next to the front door that was basically in a semi-unconscious state," Smith continued. "...Shane Byer, obviously with the Covington Volunteer Fire Department, along with Sergeant Christopher Spraker, with the Covington Division of Police, entered the house without hesitation and extract the individual from that house."
According to Smith, the individual was struggling to breathe as medics were looking them over, noting there was visible soot around the person's mouth. Upon utilizing the camera for a scan, it was discovered that the individual's throat was "...discolored black and covered with soot, suggesting it was an extreme smoke inhalation." Smoke inhalation has been determined to be the leading cause of death related to fires. "It's not the fire itself, it's usually the smoke that kills the folks that are in the house. That's why smoke detectors are really important," Chief Smith said near the conclusion of his speech.
Later, Smith was informed about the man who was extracted from the fire, and it was established that the contributions of Shane Byer and Sgt. Chris Spraker were instrumental in saving his life. |  | (L to R) C.W. Smith presented Shane Byer, volunteer with the Covington Fire Department, with the Lifesaving Award for his bravery that led to saving a man's life in March.
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