By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
On the one-year anniversary of his death, the Sherwood Fire Department on Sunday honored fallen firefighter Lt. Jason Adams with a memorial plaque on Rescue One, his assigned vehicle.
Adams, 29, was with the fire department for five years. He was on duty for the East Pulaski Volunteer Fire Department when he was shot and killed by Mark Pruitt after being mistaken for an intruder while responding to assist with a medical call at 5 a.m. at Pruitt’s home on the 200 block of Dortch Loop in North Little Rock.
Pruitt, who has seizures, told investigators that someone came into his home without a uniform and did not identify himself.
Pruitt, 48, has a jury trial scheduled for April 11 at Pulaski County Courthouse. He pleaded not guilty to one count of manslaughter, a felony in Jan. 29, 1916.
Sherwood Fire Chief David Teague said Adams had a total commitment to the fire department.
Battalion Chief J.P. Sawyer said at the ceremony, “We are dedicating Rescue One to the memory of Jason. There will be firefighters 10 to 15 years from now who are going to know who Jason was. They’ll know him from the stories and that this was his rescue (truck). They’re going to know they’re not guaranteed to go home every day. It’s a dangerous job.”
Battalion Chief Jodie Hartman said, “Jason was a fire nut. He lived and breathed anything and everything that dealt with the fire service.”
Hartman said that after Adams beat cancer twice as a child, he joined the East Pulaski Volunteer Fire Department. Adams had a burning desire to learn more about firefighting and rescue. He attended classes and was willing to teach others.
Adams was hired as an entry-level firefighter in 2010 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2015. He was also a lieutenant and a training officer for the East Pulaski Volunteer Fire Department.
Mayor Virginia Young proclaimed the day as Jason Adams Day in the city and presented the proclamation to his fiancée, Sherwood firefighter Lt. Jeannie DeMeyere.
