Compassion at Christmas Time


Many recipients were not present the day PFIA Representative Mark McDonnell presented the plaques and took the picture, so in no particular order, the members of Company 16 (B Platoon) are Lt. Christopher P. Jackson, Sgt. John Centola, FF Pablo Chersi and FF James L. Roper on the engine. Capt. Frederick J. Newell, Sgt. David N. McKee and Sgt. Michael A. Roberts on the truck.


On December 14, 2010, at 1:10a.m., Engine and Truck 16, of the Atlanta, Georgia, Fire Rescue Department, were dispatched to a house fire. They arrived to find smoke showing on a single family residence. Neighbors reported that three people remained inside.

Company 16 forced entry, knocked down the fire, and initiated search and rescue operations. They located and removed a mother and two girls; 10 and 14 years of age. Some members of E-16 then began EMS care, ensuring the survival of all the victims.

Even though the family escaped with their lives and home intact, they lost everything else, just 10 days before Christmas. The crew took it upon themselves to raise money to replace their household items and Christmas gifts! Above and beyond duty, the compassion of these fire fighters turned a potentially tragic holiday mishap into a blessed celebration.


Damsel in Distress


Last summer, the B-shift at Fire Station #8 in Port St. Lucie, Florida received a call at 2:41a.m. The Rescue unit rushed to the beach where the caller was waiting in the parking lot. Lt. Lenny Schelin questioned the man, who was concerned because his girlfriend had gone for a late night swim and he had not seen her for more than fifteen minutes.

The crew paired off, heading north and south, to search the water. Ten minutes into the search, Engineer Frank Storey heard a faint cough. He and FF/Medic Mike Brandt finally spotted the woman floating roughly 75-100 yards out. FF/Medics Phillip Pool and Robert Mancuso joined the pair when they heard their shouts.

Pool dove in without hesitation. By the time he reached the victim, she was floating face down. When he rolled her over, she immediately began to gasp for air. She was too weak to swim, so Pool wrapped one arm around her and headed for shore. Storey and Mancuso swam out to meet them with a flotation device.

On the beach, the patient stated she was fine and did not want further treatment, but they managed to convince her to go to the hospital for further evaluation. Fortunately, the speed and combined efforts of the crew of Station #8 saved this woman’s life and the entire B-shift has received a PFIA Unit Citation Award.

Young Resident Rescued


On the morning of February 14, 2010, Indianapolis, Indiana fire fighters received a call for an involved residence with entrapment. Engine 25 was the first to arrive on scene and reported heavy smoke and fire showing from the two-story home. They prepared for suppression activities as Ladder 20 arrived to perform rescue functions.

FF Bruce Pfeifer quickly entered the residence and located a young female victim. He removed his mask and applied it to the girl’s face as he carried her from the house. Pfeifer then passed the child off to medics and reentered to make sure there were no additional victims.


Lady in the Lake


A motorist on the Causeway over Lake Pontchartrain (Louisiana) fell off the bridge to the water below on April 25,
2010. The victim struck the railing, and accidently fell over the side when she exited her vehicle to investigate.

New Orleans 1st District Detective Steven Keller was en route to work when he saw the incident. Without hesitation, he jumped off the bridge, in full uniform, and held the woman afloat. St. Tammany sheriff’s deputies arrived shortly after to pull them from the water. The victim was not breathing and was placed in critical condition at a St. Tammany Parish hospital.

Man in a Mobile Home


On January 1, 2011, at 11:30p.m., the St. Lucie County Fire District’s Communications Center dispatched a crew to a mobile home. They found it 60% involved, and were told a man was trapped inside.

Lt. Grady Christopher and FF/Medic William Crittenden found a suitable window in an unburned section and slid through. Crittenden quickly found the lifeless occupant, and Christopher helped him pass the man out the window to the Rescue Crew for transport. The victim was in critical condition, so the local trauma center had him flown to a burn center. Thanks to the efforts of Christopher and Crittenden, the victim recovered in less than two months.

Gas Generator Burns Down Garage


On February 20, 2011, the Midwest was hit with huge storm. Hillsdale County, Michigan was buried under several inches of snow then sealed with a coat of ice. Thousands of rural residents went without power for days. On the 23rd, an 88-year-old man had been filling a running generator when the gas caught fire. The elderly man was trapped in his burning garage.

The call was near Trooper Evan Hauger’s current location. He entered the garage without any protective equipment and located the unresponsive man. Hauger started to pull him out when he was overcome with smoke and had to get a breath of air. The trooper then went back in, followed by an off-duty fire fighter, who advised him to get out as the heat and smoke were too intense. Hauger had to be treated at an area hospital for minor injuries related to smoke inhalation.
Despite his attempted intervention, the homeowner died and the garage was destroyed.

Smoke Nearly Suffocates Trio


L-R: PFIA Representative Paul Owens presents
Tangipahoa Parish (Louisiana) District Fire Chief Tommy Schwebel with a plaque.


On November 11, 2010 District Chief Schwebel arrived at a fire to find the resident of the house and her neighbor struggling to remove her paraplegic son. First, he pulled the would-be rescuers out, then returned to drag the 240-pound, unconscious victim the rest of the way to safety. Schwebel was relieved that he arrived before smoke inhalation claimed the lives of all three individuals. For more details on this story, refer to the Spring 2011 issue.

Multiple Residents Rescued


L-R: Eng. Jason Smith, Lt. Bernie Mickler, PFIA Representative Bradd Roembke presenting
the Unit Citation, Pvt. Mark Bradley and Pvt. John Dalton.


On the morning of March 21, 2010, Indianapolis, Indiana fire fighters were dispatched to an apartment complex. Several
residents were leaning out of the windows of their buildings. IFD Engines 3 and 7, Ladders 7, 13, 27, and Squad 7 quickly initiated a rescue response. They rescued a total of eight residents from three buildings. Medics treated and transported eleven victims to area hospitals.

While rescue efforts were taking place, the crew from Engine 11 battled extremely dangerous conditions in the basement, finally extinguishing the blaze.
For more details on this story, refer to the Spring 2011 issue, page 8.

 

Occurrences in Ohio

In the Nick of TimeOn December 14, 2009, the First and Fourth District Vice Units in Cleveland, Ohio had planned a drug bust following the completion of a buy. The dealer began to ram the police vehicles with his car in an attempt to escape. By the time he freed his car, two detectives had been injured. He was driving straight toward the unit’s lieutenant when Detective Thomas Barnes fired into the vehicle. He struck the fleeing suspect several times, effectively stopping the car before it struck the lieutenant.

Around the CornerOn June 17, 2010, Detective Darry Johnson was on patrol during the night shift. He turned a corner and spotted two males—one firing into a car at the curb. Johnson immediately requested backup, then drew his weapon and got out to confront the armed man. He was forced to bring the suspect to the ground; meanwhile,
the second male came at him from the side. This was enough of a distraction for the first man to flee. When Johnson ordered him to stop, the male reached for his weapon, but had lost it in the struggle. Johnson secured the dropped handgun, detained the second male and waited for backup to apprehend the shooter.

Crisis InterventionOn November 20, a suicidal man was standing on the outer ledge of the Hope Memorial Bridge, 93 feet above the Cuyahoga River. Officers Vincent Montague and Timothy Maffo-Judd, who have had Crisis Intervention Training, were dispatched to assist. They both climbed out on the ledge and talked to the man. Together, they were able to coax him back to safety. Montague even rode along in the ambulance to counsel the man further until he could be evaluated by hospital personnel.

Full HouseOn November 29, two patrolmen encountered a vacant house engulfed in flames in the wee hours of the morning. The fire had spread to an occupied residence next door. Officers Jarod Schlacht and Orville Taylor entered the home and found an elderly woman asleep on the couch, and seven kids asleep on the floor in front of a TV. They began waking everyone and helping them outside, when the mother rushed downstairs in a panic. Schlacht went up and got her husband, while Taylor retrived two more kids from a back bedroom. The thoughtful officers also grabbed blankets for the victims on their way out of the house.

 

 

HEROES HALL OF FAME & MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD

Close to midnight, on February 24, 2011, IFD Engine 2 responded to an apartment fire in Indianapolis, Indiana. The two-story unit was belching heavy, black smoke over the surrounding buildings. There were no hydrants in the complex, so E2 ran a 5-inch supply line from a nearby business. Engineer Stephen Rowland (MSA) dragged 100 feet of 5-inch hose to the fence for a supply line.

One resident advised fire fighters that a family was still upstairs. Captain Keith Wert (MSA) advised his crew to drag 200 feet of 1.75 hose to attack the entrance of the building in order to attempt a rescue. They encountered thick smoke and intense heat. Private Juan Jaramillo (HHF) and Private Jeffrey Bowman (HHF) advanced the attack line up to the second floor and entered the fire apartment, but it was empty of occupants. Bowman then entered the apartment to the left and found twin toddlers,a 4-year-old and their mother in the smoky interior. Captain Kenyon Jones (HHF) joined Jaramillo, and the pair worked to contain the blaze next door as Bowman chased the twins, “Fat-boy” and “Peanut,” down the hall.

Private John Ambers (MSA) and Private Chris Ulrich (MSA), from the City of Lawrence fire department raised a 24-foot ground ladder to the window to assist. Ulrich raced to the top and grabbed the first child. All three kids were passed down to safety and the mother literally jumped off the ladder into Capt. Wert’s arms. Meanwhile, Ladder 38’s Engineer Ed Munsch (MSA) took ladders around to the rear of the building as an optional means of egress for the fire fighters still inside.

A total of five patients were treated and transported by ambulance, four apartments sustained damage, and two fire departments worked in tandem to save the day.