Piedmont Columbus Regional has named Richard Barfield Jr. with Columbus Fire & EMS the organization’s First Friday Hero for the month of January.

Barfield Jr. came upon the immediate aftermath of a severe head-on collision while off duty. Without hesitation, Barfield Jr. stopped his truck and ran directly toward the wreckage to help save seven people involved in the accident.

Upon reaching the first car, Barfield Jr. found a young girl attempting to crawl out. He carried her to a safe place away from traffic before returning to rescue a small boy trapped in the car. Barfield Jr. broke a window to extract the boy and reunited him with his sister. Barfield Jr. returned to the car where he found the mother of the children partially out of the passenger side and badly injured. When the mother alerted him that her four-month-old son was still missing, Barfield Jr. crawled back into the wrecked car to locate the baby. He freed the infant and recognized an injury to the boy’s head and carried him to safety. Soon after, Barfield Jr. was informed the driver, the father, remained trapped, unconscious and not breathing. Barfield Jr. immediately cleared debris from the driver’s airway so he could begin breathing again. He then utilized trauma kits to stabilize the driver’s head wound, and when additional first responders arrived, he assisted in cutting through the car to free the pinned driver.

Throughout the incident, Barfield Jr. continued to triage and provide medical support. He organized the scene, ensured traffic and fire hazards were contained and worked alongside EMS personnel, who transported all critical patients to Piedmont Columbus Regional’s Emergency Trauma Center and Pediatric Emergency Department. Because of Barfield Jr.’s quick thinking, medical knowledge and selfless courage, many lives were saved.

A ceremony with Barfield Jr. and hospital leadership will be held at a later date to commend him for his response. His story is also featured throughout the hospital on commemorative posters and Piedmont Columbus Regional’s social media pages.

Piedmont Columbus Regional created the First Friday Hero program in 2016 to recognize first responders and everyday heroes each month who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

“Their line of work is often a thankless job, and we want to make the community aware of what our local heroes do to make the Chattahoochee Valley a safer place,” said Piedmont Columbus Regional CEO Scott Hill.