A permanent plaque on Belle Isle honors Detroit Fire Sgt. Sivad Johnson, who died after entering the Detroit River to help rescue three children in 2020

By Max Reinhart
The Detroit News

DETROIT — Six years ago, Sivad Johnson was enjoying a day on Belle Isle with his young daughter when, suddenly, duty called.

He heard three young girls screaming for help in the Detroit River. So Johnson, an off-duty sergeant with the Detroit Fire Department, dove in.

The girls successfully made it back to shore when another person and a nearby boat assisted in the rescue. Johnson, however, is believed to have been caught in a rip current. Only after the children were safe with their parents, did Johnson’s daughter realize he was missing and called 911, authorities said at the time. Hours later, divers recovered his body.

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On Monday, the city memorialized the 49-year-old’s sacrifice, unveiling a permanent plaque on the east side of the Belle Isle, near the site where Johnson entered the water on Aug. 21, 2020.

“As a city, we have a responsibility to never forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and service to their fellow residents,” Mayor Mary Sheffield said at a ceremony celebrating Johnson.

Family members, including Johnson’s brother, Jamal Johnson, said they were touched by the gesture.

“I would follow my brother anywhere because he was a man of integrity,” said Jamal, who also joined the DFD based on his brother’s advice. “He was a good man, a man that people looked up to. People aspired to be like him. And I love him dearly, and I will always try to uphold his name in his honor.”

Just days after Johnson’s death, the Detroit Fire Department officially named its fire boat in his honor. But more recently, city officials determined that wasn’t a sufficient way to honor Johnson’s legacy.

“His final act of heroism needed something permanent and deep-rooted,” said Detroit Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms on Monday. “This plaque will do that. Years from now, people will be walking this path and look and be able to read Sgt. Sivad Johnson’s story.”

Johnson was a highly respected and decorated firefighter even before to his heroic final effort. Officials said he was a top cadet at fire training school and had received a medal of valor for saving a person from a burning building.

“If it’s possible in any way for him to see what is going on today in his name, he would be honored and pleased,” said his father, Bill Johnson, who was also a Detroit firefighter.

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