Ahead of the Storm: Public Works Employee Rushes a Child to Safety on August 11

On the afternoon of August 11, Zach Bronecky was doing what he does best, getting ahead of problems before they reach residents. A five-year veteran of the Town of Munster’s Public Works Street Division, Zach and his crew were out cleaning catch basins, the storm drains that carry rain away from our streets. With severe weather in the forecast, clearing them was a simple way to reduce the chance of flooding.

As conditions worsened, the crew was working near Town Hall. When the sirens sounded, they headed inside to take shelter, just as the skies turned dangerous. Inside, a resident who had stopped in to pay her water bill was preparing to leave. Staff and crew members urged her to stay put, but she kept repeating one thing: her child. The little boy was still outside.

Zach did not wait to be asked. He ran out into the storm, called to the boy with a friendly “Let’s go, buddy,” and guided him toward the building, making sure the child stayed in front of him the whole way. A fellow crew member held the Town Hall doors open as they ran. Powerful winds were confusing the automatic door sensors, and if the doors had closed, they would not have reopened in time.

Both made it inside safely. Moments later, trees came down across the Town Hall lot, damaging several vehicles and Town Hall offices. “You never know what is going to happen,” Zach said. “A car wasn’t safe in the tornado.”

The kindness did not stop at the door. Another Town Hall employee quickly offered the child towels and a dry T-shirt, helping a frightened little boy feel safe and cared for.

Once the danger passed, Zach and his Public Works teammates went straight back to work, helping people get out of the area and clearing roads so that neighbors could get through.

No one asked Zach to run into the storm that day. He did it because someone needed help, and he was the one who could give it. It is exactly the kind of quiet courage and community spirit that defines the people who serve Munster.