“I was doing my route, delivering mail in the Sunnyland area, in Springfield, got done with a split and went to go to lunch, something was blocked so I turned onto a secondary road to get out of the neighborhood. I noticed smoke, and as I drove further up the road, I could see the flames from behind the house, that’s when I stopped, got out of my vehicle, and called 911 to get the Springfield Township to head that way. I ran up there, knocking on the door, we were able to get the occupant out of the house, she was disabled, so we got her out, her pet out, and everything worked out okay,” said Wiles.
This was actually the second time Wiles has saved someone from a fire during his work in postal services since 2014. Last year, he helped get a couple out of their house when he noticed their house was burning.
“I don’t know a lot of the specifics, but I know he’s the one who alerted the people, and helped them get out of the house, and he’s the one who called 911 for them,” said postal services clerk Becky Owens.
The incident actually appeared in the Springfield News-Sun this past spring, but with no mention of Wiles or his involvement in the rescue, yet, he knew privately that it was the story he’d been involved in.
“The supervisor had overheard him showing somebody the online article, and Ed said something to the effect that this was the second time he’d helped somebody out of a burning house on his route while he was working. He was just out on his route, he’s a mailman, that’s how it all came to be,” Owens said.
Springfield’s postmaster expressed his pride in the employees as they gathered to honor Wiles.
“Mr. Wiles is a very diligent carrier, he comes to work every day and does a great job. This definitely reflects the character of the employees here at the Springfield Postal Office, we’ve worked through this pandemic without a break, we’ve got great people, but I really appreciate what he did, he took the time out to go over and beyond helping a fellow human being, it’s a great honor to be here today,” said postmaster Vincent Hairston.
Wiles’ reputation of dedication and kindness was known to his coworkers and supervisors, they said, which is why they were not surprised that he stepped up to help the residents.
“He’s a very dedicated mail carrier, he’s a father, he’s a great dad. He’s a really great guy, really humble, so it doesn’t surprise me that he would do that, because he’s just that type of guy; he’s very caring and very committed,” said Tamla Bruton, a manager for USPS.
On March 9, flames completely spread through a Springfield Twp. house on Duquesne Drive, causing significant structural damage. The blaze could be seen coming through the roof, according to our reporter on the scene.
The two homeowners were able to escape the fire, which was reported just before 2 p.m. in the 2100 block of Duquesne Drive. Firefighters had to work defensively to put out the blaze as doors to the house were blocked, officials on the scene said.
“I’m just glad that I could be there, and help the people that needed it at that time,” said Wiles.
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