Hero Helps Moore Tornado Victims Again, Now An EMT

News 9 first told you about Jacob Lyles about two years ago. He was the teen hero who went into the rubble at Plaza Towers Elementary, helping to save at least two children.

And after last week's tornadoes in Moore, he responded to those in need again.

Like many Oklahomans, Jacob Lyles pitched in to help others clean up the mess made by Mother Nature in Moore on March 25.

“Just a lot of debris from other houses, boards, big tree limbs, just all kinds of stuff blowing around and landed in the back yard,” he said as he worked at a friend's home.

Raking up trash and gathering debris into piles served as imagery that took him back to 2013.

“It all comes running back. But at least this one wasn't as serious and we didn't lose any lives this time,” he said.

3/24/2013 Related Story: Teen Hero Accidentally Records Rescue At Plaza Towers

Two years ago, Jacob took shelter during the May 20 tornado in Moore. And when it passed, he said it was just instinct to go to Plaza Towers Elementary nearby to help the kids under that pile of debris.

His phone somehow started recording the rescue from his pocket. On the recording you can hear Jacob find a child with a wall on her, crying for help. He took the children to triage where he watched medics help save their lives. He said he knew right then and there that he wanted to be a medic, too.

“It just kind of opened my eyes up and helped me realize what I wanted to do with my life, which is help others. I don't have a problem risking my life in order to help save a stranger,” he said.

And now, two years later, the hero, no longer a teenager, serves as a certified EMT for EMSA. He said he plans to be a full-time first responder for the rest of his life.

3/29/2013 Related Story: Thunder Rewards Moore Teen Rescuer With New Shoes