Global Debt's Ousley is Life Saver in Missouri Home Fire

Greg Ousley, CEO of Global Debt Registry, usually enjoys quiet days in his hometown of Fulton, Mo., about 20 miles away from his company’s headquarters.

That all changed last weekend as Ousley was driving home with his wife after breakfast at a local restaurant, and saw smoke coming from a home along the road. He parked the car, called 911, and asked his wife to wait while he went to the house.

Ousley ran up to the porch, where he saw a wheelchair, banged on the door and asked if anyone was home. A woman yelled out that she was inside on the floor.

So Ousley grabbed a rag to cover his mouth and went in (the door was unlocked).

“There was a lot of smoke,” said Ousley, who was reluctant to describe the experience. “It’s like they say, the bottom foot to foot and a half was clear, and there was smoke above there. So I crawled under the smoke until I found her, who was on the floor, grabbed her by the arms, and backed up to find my way out. By the time I got her to the porch, the fire department was there and took over.”

The woman was taken to the hospital with some severe burns, said a fire department spokeswoman, who would not release the name of the burn victim. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

“It’s the same thing anything else would have done,” Ousley said. “When you see a situation like that, you have to help.”

 Columbia, Mo.-based Global Debt Registry provides verification of debt ownership, verifies key account information and allows access to media on purchased accounts and other services. Ousley started the three-year old firm when his previous employer was bought out by a private equity firm.