Dustin Kirkpatrick, Oregon County Ambulance District

On January 24, 2025, Chief Paramedic Kirkpatrick was first on the scene of a house fire in Koshkonong, with persons trapped. The house was fully engulfed and an elderly man on the porch stated his wife was trapped inside. Kirkpatrick pulled the man to safety and began searching for the wife without time to don his protective gear. He crawled into the smoke-filled, zero-visibility structure and located the elderly woman face down on the floor. He dragged the unresponsive woman from the center of the house. A firefighter helped him move the victim into the yard. An Oregon County ambulance had now arrived, and Kirkpatrick instructed the team to treat the elderly man while he treated the elderly woman, who was barely breathing. He began life-saving care, intubating the woman and establishing vascular access to administer critical medications. His intervention stabilized the victim’s oxygen levels before she was transported to the hospital, where she recovered. Kirkpatrick acted selflessly, entering a burning home without protective equipment and delivering expert medical care to save the woman’s life.

Justin D. Hedrick, Missouri State Highway Patrol

On the night of February 23, 2025, Trooper Hedrick was in South St. Louis County when he heard radio traffic that a sedan was traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-55. Hedrick entered northbound I-55 from Butler Hill Road and observed the sedan approaching him traveling in the wrong direction. He activated his lights and siren and used his air horn to attempt to slow down the wrong-way driver. He then reduced his own speed and, as the vehicle was about to pass him, intentionally struck the driver side of the wrong-way vehicle with the front of his patrol car. The maneuver forced the wrong-way vehicle off the roadway and disabled both vehicles. The driver was arrested for DWI. Trooper Hedrick suffered a concussion and injured wrist. Trooper Hedrick selflessly and unhesitatingly placed himself directly in the path of an out of control wrecking ball to protect the public.

Matthew Schneider, Troy Police Department

At about 5:40 p.m. on May 10, 2025, K-9 Officer Schneider was heading home from his shift when he heard a call for a high-speed crash with a trapped driver on Old Moscow Mills Road. He was first on the scene where a car had struck a large tree. The vehicle was engulfed in flames. The closed doors were inoperable. Understanding the imminent danger to the 23-year-old trapped victim who was in and out of consciousness, Schneider disregarded his own safety, relentlessly fighting heat and flames to access the cabin. He eventually forced open the passenger door, extracted the driver, and dragged him to safety. EMS began administering critical care to the driver who had sustained serious injuries and burns. The victim was flown to a hospital. Schneider’s valiant intervention and split-second decision making in the face of imminent danger saved the victim’s life.

Dustin W. Harrison, Missouri State Highway Patrol

On October 12, 2025, Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Harrison and Randolph County Deputy Sheriff Nate West were searching for a person of interest in a homicide investigation as part of an Operation Relentless Pursuit investigation. They received consent to search a Monroe County home occupied by family members of the person of interest. Understanding the danger and the need to make split-second decisions, they entered the house and encountered the person of interest armed with a handgun. He refused to follow the officers’ commands to drop his weapon and then fired upon Harrison and West, seriously wounding West. Trooper Harrison advanced toward the gunman while returning fire without regard for his personal safety, intent on protecting Deputy West. Deputy West also returned fire, despite being wounded. Trooper Harrison assisted Deputy West out of the house and provided medical treatment. The Moberly Police Department SWAT team later entered the residence and found the gunman deceased. Trooper Harrison exhibited exceptional courage and professionalism in an extremely dangerous close quarters combat environment, protecting Deputy West, himself, and the community.

Zebulon H. Hoffman, Linn Fire Protection District

On October 21, 2025, Firefighter Hoffman, the Missouri Department of Conservation’s primary fixed wing pilot, was training to operate MDC’s helicopter. He and his instructor pilot were conducting training maneuvers at the Springfield Downtown Airport when the helicopter lost power and crash landed, flipping onto its left side. Despite suffering a crushed jaw and fractured vertebrae, Hoffman freed himself, escaped through the shattered windshield and immediately attempted to rescue his colleague. Ignoring his own pain, he repeatedly tried to lift the wreckage until he managed to free the instructor’s pinned left arm. Emergency responders arrived after 35 minutes. Both men were hospitalized for three weeks, with Hoffman undergoing emergency trauma care and extensive reconstructive surgery. His heroic disregard for his own critical injuries to extricate his trapped colleague was a courageous act of resilience and perseverance.

Christopher A. Winter, Missouri State Highway Patrol

Just before 1 a.m. on December 7, 2025, Corporal Winter spotted a wrong-way driver traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of U.S. 54 in Cole County. Winter notified Troop F, activated his emergency lights and siren and attempted to position his vehicle to stop the wrong-way driver. When the driver continued past him in the wrong direction, Winter had Troop F notify Jefferson City Police of the need for assistance, entered the eastbound lanes of Highway 54, drove parallel with the wrong way driver, running his lights and siren to warn oncoming drivers. Winter then accelerated to the next exit to attempt to cut off the driver again, but she was moving too fast. He re-entered eastbound Highway 54, again utilizing his lights and siren to warn multiple oncoming vehicles. Winter then overtook the wrong-way driver again, this time joined by several Jefferson City Police officers. After they crossed the Missouri River Bridge, Winter used a median crossover to enter westbound traffic. Positioning himself in the center lane, he shone his spotlight at the wrong-way driver. She slowed but attempted to pass Winter’s vehicle, presenting further danger to the public. Winter then executed a precise, glancing strike to the front driver’s side door area, bringing the vehicle to a stop. He then placed the uninjured driver under arrest for DWI. Over the course of just six minutes, Corporal Winter repeatedly put himself at risk and then improvised and successfully executed a maneuver for which there was no training, all to protect the public.