Yoson Porter recalls that ever since he was a young kid he dreamed of some day being a hero. That dream was realized recently when the 19-year-old Euclid High School graduate and former student at the Mentor Fire Academy used his training to help save the life of a man involved in a motorcycle crash in Euclid. Chris Ford told Fox 8 that he was struck while riding his motorcycle in late summer by a hit-and-run driver and lost part of his leg. He is positive, as are hospital officials, that Porter’s actions saved his life. Former Mentor Fire Academy student Yoson Porter, right, helped save the life of a man involved in a motorcycle accident in the summer. (Courtesy of Jerry Craddock) Porter said going back to that day, he had absolutely no idea that the crash even happened, but his “intuition was what lead me there, the crowd and slight amount of car debris was enough for me to feel like something was wrong.” The first thing he said he noticed was a mangled leg and realized that the man needed a tourniquet immediately. “I ran to my car to grab whatever I could find to make one and grabbed an airplane blanket and a large stick,” Porter said. “When I returned I asked another bystander to help me apply it before holding the tourniquet in place for what felt like an eternity before the police arrived to apply a more proper one. “By that point I already felt the job was done and after surveying the scene again for a short period I simply left and went home.” Euclid officer Tanner Doenges arrived on the scene to take over what Porter had started. Mentor Fire Academy instructor Jerry Craddock remembers Porter in the Mentor High School Career Technical Education program in the 2022-2023 school year and said he was well-liked by everyone, a team player who was always willing to help. Porter sent Cradock an email informing him of the incident and thanking him for the instruction he received at the academy that he was able to implement in a real-life situation. “We get 25 emails a day most of them are OK, OK, OK, yeah, OK, but the one from Yoson was like, ‘wow!'” Craddock said. “I am super proud of him. 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But the training in the class will prepare you when the time comes, you’re going to have to react.” Porter’s reactions helped save Ford’s life and gave him a renewed energy to pursue a career as an EMT. “I’m honestly really grateful I was able to give that man a second chance at life, Porter said. “According to what he told me, the hospital said without the immediate tourniquet he wouldn’t have made it, so I’m proud to say I’ve made a difference, and I’m extremely happy that he’s alive. “A bit of it feels kind of satisfying to me because I’ve always wanted to be a hero, ever since I was a kid so being able to save a life also brought me a quite bit of self satisfaction and this incident has revived my hopes of being an EMT and has encouraged me to go back and push my studies forward so I can save more lives.” Craddock hopes Porter’s story also serves as inspiration and motivation for students who come through the fire academy. “My class is going to be their hardest class because they will have to hit the books hard, but also be the doctor in the family and know when to do it and when not to do it because they need to all understand it is a skill, saving someone’s life,” Craddock said. “… knowing how to save someone’s life is high stakes. “I wanted to say, ‘See Yoson, I wasn’t kidding,” Craddock added. “Put on tourniquets, what can you use, what do you have? We need to do something and if you don’t have one, then make one. Otherwise a person is going to die.” Craddock credited Mentor Schools and the CTE program for offering this program and these skills at the high school level. He is also proud of the fact the course is taught right behind the fire station and he gets the support from the department. Reflecting on the incident, Porter said his childhood dream of being a hero has more than been fulfilled. “The feeling of being someone’s hero is just as rewarding as I thought it would be as a child,” Porter said. “However, once again, my selfish satisfaction aside, I’m extremely happy that the man is alive and I’ll never be able to express that enough. Life is very precious to me.” Mentor Communications Officer Ante Logarusic stated this is an example of what the CTE program can accomplish through Mentor Schools and why it is important for the district and the city to support it in the future. “We are very pleased with this successful collaboration with Mentor Schools,” Logarusic said. “This program fills a much-needed gap in helping get young people interested in the EMT/firefighter field – especially when taking into account that our population is aging. “As many are aware, there is a shortage of applicants in fire departments across the nation and this program plays a critical role in helping meet the need in Mentor and surrounding communities.”