The May 19th Russellville City Council meeting was an emotional one as two men received Good Samaritan Life Saver Awards for their efforts in saving the lives of two Littleville residents.
The father-son duo of Rodney McAnally Sr., and Rodney McAnally Jr., were presented the awards by Russellville Fire Department Chief-in-Waiting Randy Seal during Monday’s meeting.
The McAnally’s actions came on February 9, 2025, when the Littleville home of Ottie and Sharon Steven caught on fire. The fire spread quickly and Sharon Steven, who has mobility issues, did not have time to get out of the home before it was fully , ablaze.
Her husband arrived home after running a short errand and rushed into the home with a garden hose, but he couldn’t find his wife through the thick smoke.
That’s when the father-son duo arrived and Ottie told them his wife was also in the house. Both men have been involved with fire departments but they arrived as concerned citizens, not as fire fighters.
The intense blaze required the Littleville Volunteer Fire Department to ask for support from other agencies, so the RFD responded to the scene. Moments after rescuing Sharon, the roof on the house imploded due to the intense heat.
Monday’s Life Saver Awards were a surprise to the father and son. More important than the awards, though, were the words from Sharon and Ottie Steien, who also attended the meeting.
At Monday’s meeting, the newest RFD firefighter, Tanner Gunter, was sworn in, and Steien used the moment to impress upon the young fireman how important his job will be.
“I hope and pray you never see what we went through that night, but every one of you will make a difference in someone’s life like these two gentlemen here have done,” Steien said. “We would not be here without them.”
In other agenda items at Monday’s meeting, the council:
—accepted a low bid of $116,000 from Gillespie Construction, LLC, for the Harrison Avenue Box Culvert Project.
—approved a service agreement with Taylor Sudden Service for generators at the city’s storm shelters.
—authorized an abatement of nuisance at 715 East Franklin St.
—accepted a letter of resignation from Russellville Police Officer Trenton Martin and declared a vacancy for Patrol Officer and hiring from the current list.
—appointed Willard Mitchell to the Russellville Water and Sewer Board. Mitchell was nominated by District Two Councilman Darren Woodruff to replace his district’s previous board member who resigned after moving out of county.
“My board member from District Two had to move out of the county, so for those reasons I wanted to make sure District Two remains represented on the Water and Sewer Board. He will fill out the remainder of the term,” Woodruff said.
The next regular meeting of the Russellville City Council will be June 2, 2025, with work session at 6 p.m., and meeting to follow.
