On June 19, 2025, Scott Fuss was leaving work and planned to stop for gas on his way home, but after speaking with his wife, Kristi, he decided to skip the gas station and head straight home. As he neared home, Scott noticed what appeared to be an abandoned truck on the side of the road. As he got closer, he saw deployed airbags and an arm raised inside the cab. Sensing something was wrong, Scott immediately pulled over and ran to the vehicle.
A woman inside the truck called out, “Are you Scott Fuss?” Surprised the woman knew who he was, Scott confirmed his identity and assessed the situation, but the strong smell of gasoline heightened the urgency. Reaching into the cab, Scott turned off the ignition and noticed a man slumped over and unresponsive. Scott quickly checked for a pulse, but there was none.
Scott helped the woman out of the vehicle and then went to remove the unresponsive man. Once both were out safely, he asked the woman to assist with rescue breathing while he performed CPR. Scott continued administering CPR for more than 15 minutes until paramedics arrived. He then continued assisting first responders. After four attempts with a defibrillator, the emergency crew was able to revive the man, and both he and the woman were transported to the hospital.
Only after his heroic act did Scott learn the victims were the parents of his co-worker, Ben Malcom. Ben’s father had suffered a “widow-maker” heart attack due to a 90 percent blockage. Ben’s mother recovered quickly from her injuries, but his father spent several weeks in the ICU. Today, Ben’s father is nearly fully recovered.
This act of bravery is not an isolated incident for Scott.
In late 2024, Scott received a frantic call from his daughter, Hannah, who had swerved to avoid a deer and crashed her car into a local lake. The vehicle was rapidly sinking, and the electronic locks and windows had failed. Hannah was trapped inside, unable to escape.
Scott rushed to the scene, which was two miles from his home. Scott’s wife, Kristi, stayed on the phone with both Hannah and 911. Just the day before, Scott had found a glass-break tool in the employee parking lot at Snapping Shoals EMC and had been keeping it in his pocket until he could locate the owner. With no time to spare, he used the tool to shatter the passenger window of Hannah’s car and pulled her to safety. Seconds later, the car sank to the bottom of the lake.
A few days later, Scott was returning the glass-break tool to its rightful owner, but not before explaining how it had saved his daughter’s life. The owner, a SSEMC lineman, graciously told Scott to keep it.
Scott Fuss has shown extraordinary courage and presence of mind enduring moments of crisis. His selfless actions in two separate emergencies have directly saved lives. His calm, quick-thinking and willingness to put himself in harm’s way for the sake of saving others embody the very spirit of the Georgia EMC Lifesaving Award.
