BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — “Protecting lives and saving property” is a firefighter’s slogan and commitment every time the alarm bell rings.

Those words were put to action in Brownsville, Tennessee where hometown firefighter Lucas Warren, who has 12 and a half years on the Brownsville-Haywood County Fire Department, is now being called a hero.

Saturday, first responders headed to an apartment in Brownsville where an elderly man was trapped. An electric wheelchair reportedly caught fire right in the middle of the apartment doorway.

“It was completely engulfed in flames, and I guess parts of the chair had fallen off, so there was no access without going over the chair,” Warren said.

That’s what firefighter Warren did, homing in in the man’s voice inside the smoke- and fire-filled apartment.

Relying on training and gut reaction, Warren entered 15 feet into the danger zone to find the victim.

“”He was holding his self up by the wall and bedroom door and and he stated to me that he couldn’t walk,” Warren said.

He picked the man up and retraced his steps, praying his grip on the victim would stay tight.

“That’s kind of what keeps you going — the adrenaline, along with the thought, ‘If I stop it’s not just me that gets hurt,'” he said.

Lawrence Springfield, who lives next door and could hear his neighbor moaning and calling for help, is glad Warren was able to jump into action.

“It was mighty courageous of him because it was burning good,” Springfield said.  

While Warren doesn’t consider himself a hero, others strongly disagree.

“Anytime someone stands between life and death and creates a opportunity for someone to live again, I think they’re a hero,” said Brownsville Mayor William Rawls Jr.

The victim was airlifted Saturday to Regional One Hospital in Memphis where he is listed in fair condition.

There is a new training facility under construction for the Brownsville-Haywood County Fire Department and Brownsville’s Mayor plans to allocate half the City’s budget in the coming year to fire and police.