Otto McMillan doesn’t wear a cape, but he’s still a superhero. He jumped in to help people during three separate situations last year—earning the American Gas Association’s Meritorious Service Award during May’s AGA Operations Conference.
The utility field representative has worked at Piedmont Natural Gas for nearly 30 years and says he has stepped in to help strangers more times than he can remember. “I’ve been here 28, 29 years,” reflected McMillan. “Probably 28, 29 times something has happened. I know for sure I’ve seen four fires, numerous wrecks and different types of events. I cannot turn a blind eye.”
In early 2023, McMillan was supervising the construction of a natural gas main line in Mint Hill, North Carolina, when he noticed smoke billowing from the roof of a house down the street. He and a construction contractor pounded on the doors to tell the family—a mother and two young daughters—to get out, and McMillan shut off the electricity to the home as a precaution. It was a good move—firefighters later told him that the fire was caused by a faulty electrical connection and the house could have burned down were it not for McMillan’s quick thinking.
A few months later, he was driving to the utility’s operations center when a minivan in front of him collided with a Kia Forte. The force of the crash tossed the Kia upside down. As the driver began to crawl out, McMillan turned on his lights to stop traffic, called 911 and ran over to help. When emergency personnel arrived, his job wasn’t done: He started directing traffic.
Then, in late October, another car crash happened in front of him. McMillan jumped in to check on the drivers—one of whom was pinned in his car. McMillan called 911 and stayed with the injured man until emergency personnel arrived.
In all these cases, says McMillan, he was in the right place at the right time. He also gives credit to his childhood friend, Griff, who passed away when McMillan was 15. “He told me this one thing, ‘Each one, teach one,’” said McMillan. “He said, ‘If I help you today, you help somebody else tomorrow.’ And when he passed away, I just took that to heart.
“I hope everyone who I’m involved with has that same mentality, the Griff mentality,” he added. “Stop, look around and listen to things. You may be the person who’s going to make somebody’s day, help save someone’s life. You may just be that superhero. You may be that person for that moment.”