Bluffton, S.C., was the scene of a frightening head-on collision that almost turned deadly in January of 2007. Three young victims were trapped in their vehicle as hot smoke billowed out of the engine compartment. Senior Firefighter Rod Oates of the Bluffton Township Fire District was off duty and driving home from a department meeting when he happened upon the scene.

The car doors were crushed and mangled upon impact, and two of the three victims were pinned and the other was unconscious in the backseat. Panicked and unable to move, the two victims in the front managed to relay messages to Rod through the glass about where and how they were trapped.

Rod tried tenaciously to pry the door open or find any way to gain access to the victims, knowing that the outpouring of smoke would soon mean a spreading fire. His small window of time was running out. Rod spotted a bystander and immediately called him over to help. The strength of the two men was enough to bend the driver's side door far enough to free the victim, whose leg was stuck between the door and the seat. The men then pried open the passenger door and were able to pull the remaining two victims out one-by-one, just seconds before the fire engulfed the entire passenger compartment.


Three lives were saved that night, thanks to Rod's fearless quick thinking and ability to utilize a citizen to perform the rescue. Rod received the department's Medal of Valor for his lifesaving actions. Although he says he did just what anyone else would have done, Firehouse Subs is proud to call Rod Oates our hero.