LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / March 13, 2000

LULING – St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Michael Folse was honoredWednesday as Deputy of the Year by the Rotary Club of St. Charles Parish.Folse, 44, a seven-year veteran, was cited for his heroism in rescuing an elderly man from a burning house. Despite the efforts, though, the man latersuccumbed to his injuries.

Rotary President Russell Hoch presented Folse with a plaque and a certificate for a free dinner at East Island Restaurant for he and his family.

Hoch also presented Sheriff Greg C. Champagne $500 for a bulletproof vestfor the department.

Folse is married to Alice Folse, and he has a daughter, Jena, 21, and granddaughter, Katelyn, 4. The couple live in Hahnville.The incident for which Folse was honored happened Jan. 27, 1999, with the 1p.m. report of a residential fire with an elderly man trapped inside the blazinghouse.

Deputies, including Folse, a corporal at the time, arrived at the scene on Megan Street in Luling. There, they found a frantic neighbor spraying agarden hose on the front door. As firefighters tried to make entry they weredriven back by the heat, flame and smoke.

The firefighters and deputies circled to the back and, accompanied by two firefighters, Folse managed to get into the house where he located the unconscious victim on the floor of the bathroom.

The victim was taken to safety by Folse and two firefighters and they began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The victim, who sufferedsevere burns to the head, face, eyes and hands, later died in a hospital critical care unit.

Folse also assisted rescue workers in giving oxygen to the victim’s dog, who also suffered from smoke inhalation.

Champagne noted: “With the victim rushed to the hospital by ambulance, he put the dog in his patrol car and transported it to a nearby animal clinic. Ifthis doesn’t show someone who cares about people, I don’t know what does.”The sheriff added that Folse had to be ordered by his watch commander to go to the hospital and have himself checked out.

Champagne said of the incident: “You wonder if it was the right thing to do, but it gave his family a chance to be with him. It gave him a chance for life. Iwish I had a whole lot of deputies like him.”

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