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TDCJ employee saves lives during house fire

He doesn't wear a costume with an "S" on it but Neal Unit correctional officer Armando Romero is a "superman" in the eyes of the Tucker family.

On July 25, 2016 at about 3:00 PM, a fire broke out in the Tulia home of Ronny and Janet Tucker who both work at the Tulia Transfer Facility. Smoke was coming out of the house where the Tucker's daughter, son-in-law, twin nine-month old grandchildren, a grandson and a friend's daughter were all inside.

Romero lives across the street and was working outside of his house when he saw thick, dark smoke coming from the windows at the Tuckers' home. "My instinct just kicked in and I acted," he said. "I knew there were lives on the line. A switch just flipped inside of me and I went into action."

After making sure that everyone who was inside was now safely outside, Romero dragged a garden hose into the house and began spraying water around the room where an air conditioning window unit had caught fire. He continued this until firefighters arrived a short time later.

The fire chief then asked Romero to continue lending a hand outside by spraying water on nearby rooftops and making sure that the volunteers' oxygen masks were working properly.

Neal Unit senior warden Keith Gentry said Romero's actions are just an example of the kind of man and officer that he is. "When I talked to him about what had happened, he said he was just being a good neighbor," said Gentry. "The Neal Unit and TDCJ as a whole is honored to have such a selfless officer in our agency."

Battling a fire and saving lives is not new for Romero. He was a volunteer firefighter for over two years with the Tulia Volunteer Fire Department before coming to work at TDCJ in December 2013.

Ronny Tucker also had high praise for his neighbor and fellow TDCJ employee. "He placed his safety at risk to come to my family's aid," said Tucker. "He is the epitome of what our officers will do in the face of danger."

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