After a long career in law enforcement, Todd Morris knows what to do in an emergency. Now retired, he’s a school bus driver in Jackson Township, Ohio, but he always has his eyes and ears open just in case. On January 22, 2025, Morris was driving his Toyota Tacoma through town and saw flames coming from a second-story window of a familiar home. He knew he had to act fast.
Though he wasn’t driving his bus that day, Todd knew the family who lived in the house. “They’re my kids,” Morris told Today. “I’d do anything for my kids.”
The Fisher family’s home had caught fire, and because the school district had canceled classes that day because of the weather, Morris feared for the family he assumed would be inside. Two children who lived there rode his bus, and he felt compelled to help.
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“My heart just dropped,” he recalled. “All I could think was, ‘My kids. My kids are inside.'”
He called 911 for help and then ran into the home. Morris immediately knew how serious the situation was. The smoke billowed out after he broke down the door, and Morris recalled being unable to see.
“I kept hearing these noises, but I couldn’t differentiate what they were or where they were coming from,” Morris said to the morning show. “I needed to make sure that no one was inside.”
The ceilings began to collapse, and he thought the house was empty until he found their dogs, Lady and Cash.
“They were staring at me like deer in headlights. They looked so scared,” he said. Morris grabbed the dogs and put them in his car to protect them while he waited for firefighters to arrive.
Thankfully, no one was in the house that day. Brooklyn, 14, Riley, 10, Arizona, 8, and Dakota, 4, spent the night at their grandparents’ house, and Matt and Jordan Fisher were at work.
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Matt Fisher called Morris his hero. “I gave him a big hug, and thanked him for what he did. Our dogs mean everything to us. We’ve had them since they were pups,” Fisher told Today. “I was crying.”
Matt added, “We’re devastated. But if (Todd) hadn’t driven by in that moment, we would have lost everything.”
Jackson Township Fire Chief Timothy Berczik told Today that Morris helped with the situation so much.
“Most people would just call 911 and keep driving. But Todd, being a retired police officer, knew that when it’s cold and windy, every second counts. He met us when we got there and was able to give us the lay of the land.”
