EASTHAMPTON — Two emergency room nurses recently received a standing ovation from the City Council after rescuing a driver from a burning vehicle on their front lawn.

Nick Hebert and Stacy Elander were getting ready for the day one May morning when they heard an intense crashing noise and saw a vehicle fly “airborne,” crashing into a tree on their lawn and catching fire. The car door wouldn’t open and the driver was trapped inside the vehicle, but luckily, the couple knew exactly how to respond.

“We literally saw a car airborne directly into a tree,” Elander said. “I don’t know how fast it was going but our training kind of took over.”

The couple, both of whom are ER nurses at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, sprang to action and managed to save the trapped occupant. After assessing the situation, Elander immediately called 911 while Hebert went to break the car window to remove the driver safely.

“Realizing that my neighbors were trying to break the windows with rocks, I grabbed my trauma sheers which have a window breaking mechanism on it and broke the window safely,” Hebert said.

Fire Chief Christopher Norris said the crash happened on May 17 at approximately 7:20 a.m. at the couple’s home on Strong Street, when a vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree on their lawn and caught fire. The driver was the only occupant and sustained minor injuries, Norris said.

Once the driver was removed, Hebert, who served in the Marine Corps with fire department training, then noticed a flame emerging from under the car. Hebert responded to car fires before, immediately grabbing a garden hose with Elander to start extinguishing the advancing fire.

“I saw a fire under the car, and cars go up in flames really quickly, so we grabbed the hose,” Hebert said.

The two then began assessing the driver to ensure they were OK, all before emergency services arrived.

“We see it every day so it was kind of a natural reaction,” Hebert said.

The couple received a standing ovation at a City Council meeting last week, when they were honored by Norris and Police Chief Chad Alexander and given “Life Safety” award plaques, recognizing their courage and selflessness.

“There is little doubt that Mr. Hebert and Ms. Elander’s quick thinking, courage and willingness to act during a life-threatening emergency significantly improved the outcome of this incident.”

“There is little doubt that Mr. Hebert and Ms. Elander’s quick thinking, courage and willingness to act during a life-threatening emergency significantly improved the outcome of this incident,” Norris said at the meeting. “If it were not for their actions, the outcome unfortunately could have been a lot different.”

Norris, Alexander and Mayor Salem Derby gathered with Hebert and Elander outside the Municipal Building at 50 Payson Ave. after they were honored at the council meeting, thanking them for their service.

Norris said that so often, people will either keep driving or ignore an accident like that, but Hebert and Elander’s actions were “heroic.” In instances like the crash, Norris said nonemergency personnel should always be cautious, but when someone has the capabilities to address the situation, it helps save lives.

“When you look at this situation, having their selfless acts in the face of danger with a vehicle on fire — to risk their own personal safety for the benefit of others — goes above and beyond day-to-day human nature,” Norris said in an interview.

“I hope if I was in that situation someone would do the same,” Hebert said.