Driver examiner supervisor Timothy Murphy showed "heroic actions" in May when a typical driver's exam was cut short when he saw smoke pouring from a residence's upper floor.
Murphy works with the Missouri State Highway Patrol driver examination crew out of Troop A in Sedalia.
At 10:30 a.m. May 22, he was with an applicant driving the streets of Clinton when he saw the smoke and had the applicant drive closer. When Murphy was close enough to assess the danger, he had the applicant stop the vehicle and call 911, said Lt. Scott Shipers, who nominated him for State Employee of the Month.
Murphy ran to the scene, entered the home and checked for occupants.
He found the elderly homeowner, who was unable to walk without assistance, and his granddaughter on the first floor.
"Murphy removed the occupants, along with three dogs from the residence," Shipers said.
He attempted, but was unsuccessful in removing a fourth dog from the second floor, due to the intensity of the smoke.
From the destruction of the home and the injuries sustained by the occupants, it was a dangerous situation.
"The actions of supervisor Murphy went above and beyond what is normally expected," Shipers said. "(He) acted courageously, responded without regard for his own safety, and possibly saved two lives."
Missouri's State Employee of the Month is selected by the State Employee of the Month Selection Committee from among nominations submitted by the 16 state departments and some elected offices. The six committee members also are members of the State Training Advisory Council.