It wasn’t any big deal — just Mike Schmidt and a buddy on a nighttime fishing trip at Lewisville Lake a year ago.

But Schmidt made a big catch that night. He rode a young woman’s Jeep 25 feet down into the lake and pulled her out of a sure death trap.

And it’s been a big deal ever since.

DRC file photo/Gary Payne

Denton firefighter Mike Schmidt is shown June 10, 2008, at Denton Fire Station No. 5. He will receive the Carnegie Hero Medal for extraordinary heroism for saving a woman from drowning at Lewisville Lake a year ago.

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Schmidt, a Denton firefighter, learned this week that he will receive the Carnegie Hero Medal for extraordinary heroism. It is awarded to civilians who risk their lives to save someone else. The prestigious medal is being engraved with his name, and he expects to receive it in about two weeks.

He is one of 22 recipients nationwide and the only one from Texas.

Four of the award winners lost their lives during their attempts to save others, including a 12-year-old boy who died trying to save his sister from drowning.

It isn’t the first honor bestowed on Schmidt for the rescue, but it is the biggest.

“It’s been amazing,” Schmidt said. “I received the fire department Medal of Valor and the Denton County Firefighter of the Year award. And I was also honored by the Rotary Club. I only did what I would hope anyone would do if that had been a member of my family, but I’m really proud of the honors.”

Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie created the award in 1904 after a coal mine disaster. He was so moved when he learned that two of the 181 dead went in after the explosion and died trying to save the others that he wanted to honor them and help their families.

Since that time, his foundation has honored more than 9,000 people and awarded more than $30 million in grants and scholarships.

Schmidt, 39, has been a Denton firefighter for 11 years, with stints in Midland and Highland Village before that.

He lives in Hickory Creek with his wife and daughter, and he fishes to relieve the stress of a dangerous job.

He was off duty that Friday night. He and his friend Doug Lovell and Lovell’s 11-year-old son were fishing off the dock at Lewisville Marina near Sneaky Pete’s restaurant.

The young woman left the business at about 11 p.m. Heading for the interstate, she took a very wrong turn that led to a platform for a crane to haul yachts out of the lake. She was text messaging on her cellphone when suddenly there was no road under her.

The fishermen heard something that sounded like an explosion, but it was the young woman’s vehicle hitting the lake. Schmidt could see headlights on the water. He didn’t hesitate. He jumped into the lake, swam over to the vehicle and climbed onto the hood.

His friend dove in to help but waited to see what he needed to do. The vehicle began to sink, coming to rest on the bottom, 25 feet down.

Schmidt could see the young woman inside screaming. She was kicking the windshield with her bare feet.

Schmidt knew he had to wait until the pressure equalized to open the door. In those circumstances, a vehicle must be fully submerged before the doors will open. As soon as he could get the door open, water rushed inside. He grabbed the young woman and swam to the surface, where he handed her to his friend. The two swam to the boatlift and a ladder Schmidt knew was there.

All the resulting attention embarrassed him at first. He didn’t feel like a hero — just a man who had the right training and was in the right place at the right time.

Because he was off duty and there for recreation and not work that night, he qualified as a civilian for the Carnegie award.

Denton Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Klingele said it was a daunting challenge, even for a seasoned firefighter, and one even an on-duty firefighter might think twice about trying. It was dark under the water, with no way to see anything. No one except his buddy knew that he and the girl were submerged 25 feet below the surface. The results could have been bad, Klingele said.

“A firefighter on duty would be expected to make that effort to save a life,” he said. “But it takes that extraordinary training and years of experience to save a life — to ‘make the grab,’ as we call it. To do that off duty late in the evening, completely off guard, just shows how good he is as a person.

“I don’t think I could be more proud of any firefighters in the department at this point,” Klingele said. “He went above and beyond the call of duty, and he was off duty at the time.”

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.