Firehouse Magazine Rescue Award Winners for 2000
These winners were recognized in the April, 2001 Issue of Firehouse Magazine.
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| Kenneth P. Pagurek | Philadelphia, PA FD | Joel Pereca | FDNY | Norman Shirk | West Whiteland Fire Co. Exton, PA |
| Patrick W. O'Brien | Metro - Dade, FL FD | Earl Stanton | Virginia Beach, VA FD | David B. Powell | Seattle, WA FD |
| Chad E. Nicodemus | Columbus, OH FD | Gary Cole | Virginia Beach, VA FD | Jeff K. Blevins | Seattle, WA FD |
| Douglas B. Ross | Columbus, OH FD | Todd Wilson | Indianapolis, IN FD | John F. South | FDNY |
| Sean T. O'Rourke | Columbus, OH FD | Dudley Taylor | Indianapolis, IN FD | Daniel Perella | FDNY |
| Michael F. McLoughlin | FDNY | Ross G. Russell | Buffalo, NY FD | Greg Mundy | Irmo, SC Fire District |
| Donald Morlock | Metro - Dade, FL Fire Rescue | Charles Simms | Detroit, MI FD | Kevin Swaim | Irmo, SC Fire District |
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At 10:30 on the
morning of February 16, 2000 Engine 50 arrived first due at a two story
brick row housse with heavy fire and smoke on the first floor. As the crew
set up hose lines, Firefighter Pagurek learned from neighbors that there
were children on the second floor. Pagurek rushed through the smoky and
fiery front door, up the stairs, which were also on fire, to the second
floor hall. He searched down the smoke filled hall and found two
unconscious children lying on the floor. Grabbing both children, he
retreated back toward the stairs and descended through the flames,
protecting the children with his body. He brought both children through
the front door to the street, where they were removed to a local hospital.
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Kenneth P. Pagurek Philadelphia, PA FD $100 Award |
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Chad E. Nicodemus $100 Award |
Douglas B. Ross $100 Award |
Sean T. O'Rourke $100 Award |
Columbus, OH Division of Fire |
| Engine
7 was first due at a house fire on the evening of April 4, 2000. The two
story frame house was fully involved in fire pushing from the front
entrance. Firefighter Chad Nicodemus and Captain Douglas Ross conducted a
primary search for victims who were reported to be inside. They crawled
through heavy smoke and heat in the front room to a rear bedroom, where
Nicodemus found three semi-conscious victims. He helped Ross to carry one
adult from the bedroom, and the captain removed the victim to the street.
Nicodemus returned to the bedroom, heard a child, found him, and carried
him out of the house.
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Returning to the bedroom, Nicodemus found a second child and removed him to the street. While these rescues were taking place, Firefighter Sean T. O’Rourke placed a ladder against a second floor roof, climbed from the roof to a porch, and then through a window into a smoke and heat filled hallway. Without a hose line or a partner, he crawled down the hall to a rear bedroom and found a six year old boy. O’Rourke carried the boy back down the hall, out of the window onto the porch, across the porch to the roof, and back down the ladder to safety. |
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As part of an EMS
unit, Firefighter O'Brien arrived at the scene with reports of persons
trapped. Without hesitating, he entered the smoke-filled house and began a
primary search pattern. He emerged from the front door carrying an elderly
woman and placed her at a safe distance from the burning building. He
immediately re-entered the house to complete his search. Upon entering the
last bedroom, he found an elderly bedridden man. O'Brien placed this
victim on his shoulders and crawled to the front door, where he passed the
victim to waiting personnel. Firefighter O'Brien's brave efforts saved two
lives.
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Patrick W. O'Brien Miami - Dade Fire Rescue $100 Award |
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On the morning of
February 13, 2000 Ladder 138 was returning from an alarm when the crew was
dispatched to a fire in a two story commercial building. Ladder 138 was
the first and only unit to arrive on scene. Lt. McLoughlin saw heavy smoke
pushing from the first floor entrance. He was told that several people
were living in the basement. McLoughlin entered the building with his
Forcible Entry Team and went down the stairs to the basement, where he
found signs of an illegal alteration to accommodate residents. Without a
hose line and in dense smoke and intense heat, McLoughlin led his team
through the basement, checking numerous cubicles, dodging piles of stored
merchandise, and searching interior stairs. Near the stairs he found an
unconscious burned man. He transferred the man to members of the Forcible
Entry Team, who removed him to the street. McLoughlin continued his search
and found another victim. She was located dangerously close to the main
body of fire. She was too heavy for McLoughlin to move, so he called for
assistance. While waiting he rigged the woman in a strip of rescue
webbing. He and other members of the crew pulled her from the room as an
Engine 289’s hose team arrived in the area and knocked down a portion of
the fire. After evacuating the woman, Lt. McLoughlin and his crew returned
to fight the fire, which was successfully suppressed.
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Michael F. McLoughlin FDNY $100 Award |
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Chief
Morlock was dispatched from quarters to a vehicle that hit a house with
flames showing and a person trapped. He arrived prior to all other units. As
a primary command officer, he was not wearing protective clothing. The car
was on its side and was burning near the fuel tank. Flames were impinging on
the passenger compartment. An unconscious man was inside. Morlock had a
choice. He could put on his protective clothing, which would take 60-90
seconds, or he could act quickly and pull the victim out of the car. He put
himself at risk to save the victim. Without securing the car, which was
leaning against the house, he climbed on top, jumped in and lifted the
victim out of the passenger door. An arriving policeman helped him. He then
climbed out of the car. The victim sustained second degree burns on his arms
and Chief Morlock had glass cuts on his hands and arms. The fire continued
to increase before the Engine crew arrived and extinguished it. Had he
waited for another unit to arrive or taken time to put on his gear, the
victim would have burned to death. Instead he is expected to make a full
recovery.
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Donald Morlock Metro - Dade, FL Fire Rescue $100 Award |
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Earl Stanton $100 Award |
Gary Cole Honorable Mention |
| Virginia Beach, VA FD |
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On January 24th at 8 PM two Virginia Beach Firefighters were instrumental in saving the life of a fellow firefighter. Master Firefighter Rick Kellog was attacking a fire in the upstairs of a two story duplex building. During the attack the ceiling and roof of the structure partially collapsed onto the attack crew. One member of the crew escaped from the debris and left the building. Kellog’s helmet and face piece were knocked off during the collapse and he was unable to breath or see in the midst of the dense smoke and heat. Burned on his face and neck and breathing with difficulty, he became disoriented. With the fire now growing out of control, his life was in great danger. When the “Mayday Fire Fighter Down” was transmitted Captain Earl Stanton and Master Fire Fighter Gary Cole, who were working outside the structure , donned their face masks and entered the house.
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They moved up the stairwell toward the living room of the home. Stanton came across Kellog struggling to free himself from debris. He untangled Kellog and began leading him to the stairwell. Cole now located the pair, re-oriented them, and helped Stanton to get Kellog out. After the rescue was complete the fire attack went to defensive mode due to the extent of the fire and the instability of the structure. The fire was extinguished using master streams. The quick actions of Captain Stanton and Master Fire Fighter Cole saved the life of their brother firefighter. |
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Engine 275
arrived at a fire in a two story commercial building with a store and two
apartments above. The fire was in the basement. rapidly extending into the
1st and 2nd floors. The interior stairs were fully involved. A women and
several children were trapped on the 2nd floor. A woman was in a window
screaming and looking to jump. Engine 275 stretched a 2 ˝” hose line into
the doorway on the left side of the building and met a fire that had already
burned through several steps of the interior stairs. Engine 275 was in a
very dangerous position, like being in a chimney , but remained there in
order to protect the interior stairs. Heavy fire was coming up from the
basement and E 275 used their line to attack it. Firefighter Thomas Butler
of Ladder 133, who was on the 2nd floor, suddenly fell through the interior
stairs because the fire burned away the stair supports. As he reached the
half floor landing, the stairs gave way and Butler fell 14 feet into the
basement. The Mayday signal was transmitted immediately and Firefighter Joel
Pereca of Engine 275, the back up man on the hose line, immediately moved to
the staircase and climbed over the remaining steps. He lowered himself into
the basement while hanging from the damaged steps. The steps broke and
Pereca also fell into the basement, a drop of about 8 ft. Pereca stood up
and searched for Butler. He found him lying on his back, covered with
debris. The severe fall had knocked his facepiece from his head. He was
injured from the fall and disoriented in the heat and smoke. Pereca pulled
Butler to his feet and remained with him until a ladder could be put down
the hole. The Engine 275 crew remained at the edge of the hole and protect
them with the water from the hose line. Several minutes later Pereca
assisted Butler up the ladder and followed him to the safety of the first
floor.
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Joel Pereca FDNY $100 Award |
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Todd Wilson $100 Award |
Dudley Taylor $100 Award |
| Indianapolis, IN FD |
| On the afternoon of August 13, 2000 the Indianapolis Fire Department dive team began its monthly dive training at a nearby quarry. Firefighter Dudley Taylor dived with Firefighter J. C. Smith. Firefighters Todd Wilson and Keith Rhem dived in the other team. Taylor became separated from Smith in the murky water, surfaced, and swam toward a buoy to reach the ascent/descent line. Taylor went down the line about 40 feet and found Wilson, who was tangled in a search line. Taylor cut Wilson free and helped him to the surface. Wilson reported that he had been grabbed by Smith, had his mask ripped off, and become entangled. | Rhem now surfaced. They realized that Smith was missing.By this time the dive instructor arrived in a boat. He pulled the ascent/descent line and felt a heavy load. Taylor dived to about 40 feet, found Smith, and cut his weight belt loose. Smith was pulled to the surface and placed in the boat. All attempts to resuscitate him failed. |
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At 5:15 pm
on October 11, 1999, off duty firefighter Ross G. Russell was at an auto
repair shop when he noticed smoke coming from a 2 ˝ story wood frame house.
Running to the house, he learned from a neighbor that an elderly man was
trapped inside. With no equipment or assistance Russell kicked in the front
door and climbed the stairs to the second floor to search the bedrooms. He
found the man lying just inside a bedroom that was heavily involved in smoke
and fire. Russell dragged the victim to safety from the smoky, hot
atmosphere, and returned to the house to finish his search. There were no
other victims. The elderly man made a full recovery. With only a few months
of experience on the job, Ross Russell performed at a level that matched
that of much more experienced firefighters.
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Ross G. Russell Buffalo, NY FD $100 Award |
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At 11 PM on
November 10, 1999, Engine Company 53 responded to fire. They found a
two-story dwelling with the rear of the dwelling totally involved, with fire
showing from the first and second floors. Fighting intense heat and smoke,
Senior Fire Fighter Charles Simms stretched a 1˝
inch line into the first floor and climbed a stairway to the second floor to
perform a search. He found an unconscious girl in the second floor bedroom.
Simms, Sergeant Andre Johnson and Senior Fire Fighter Henry Jones carried
the child to the stairway of the building. Simms and Jones then resumed the
search and found a second unconscious child. They left the building with
her, began CPR, and continued CPR while transporting the child to the
hospital. Both children recovered.
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Charles Simms Detroit, MI FD $100 Award |
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On the
evening of August 9, 2000 Assistant Chief Norman Shirk arrived at a two
story twelve unit apartment building within two minutes of dispatch and
reported heavy fire showing from the first floor end unit. Neighbors told
him that an occupant was still inside. He donned his turnout gear and SCBA
and proceeded to the rear patio area where fire was venting from the sliding
glass door, which looked into the living and dining rooms. These rooms were
fully involved, with a space of three feet between the floor and flames. He
spotted the victim’s foot in the hallway leading to the bedroom area.
Alone and without a hose line, he crawled twenty feet through the burning
living room and rescued the victim, returning via the same route. He was
then joined by the first-in engine company and reentered the apartment with
hose lines and infrared imagers to search for additional victims. None were
found. The 72-year-old woman rescued by Chief Shirk was flown to a regional
burn center where she succumbed to her injuries ten days later.
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Norman Shirk West Whiteland Fire Co. Exton, PA $100 Award |
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David B. Powell $100 Award |
Jeff K. Blevins Honorable Mention |
| Seattle, WA FD |
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Ladder 7 and two other companies
responded on August 31, 2000 to a report of a submerged Bobcat tractor and
its driver. The driver had backed his machine from a barge that was moored
in Puget Sound. The frigid water was almost 30 feet deep, and visibility was
less than one foot. Firefighters Powell and Blevins were trained and
equipped as surface water rescue technicians. They equipped themselves with
wetsuits, masks, weights, and snorkels, and began to make dives to the
submerged tractor. They could not get to the bottom of the sound with their
equipment. Firefighter
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Blevins snagged his weight belt on one dive and cut it with his knife to be able to reach the surface. Firefighters on the barge dropped a grappling hook into the water and snagged the Bobcat. Powell then took a deep breath and pulled himself to the tractor on the grappling hook line. Somehow he found the trapped driver and got him to the surface. The driver was removed to a hospital but died several hours later. The efforts of both firefighters to locate and rescue a victim in 28 feet of water with no SCUBA equipment were acts of extraordinary courage and dedication. |
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John F. South $100 Award |
Daniel Perella Honorable Mention |
| FDNY |
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Ladder 44 responded to an alarm of
a building collapse. They found a collapsed single story concrete building
with a reinforced concrete roof. The only entrance to the collapse was a
small tunnel created by a portion of wall that had not collapsed. Looking
inside this 2’x 2’ hole, Firefighter John South heard a man crying for
help. Ladder -44’s crew removed enough debris to make a 3’x 3’ hole.
South, assisted by Firefighter Daniel Perella, crawled into the space,
initially on hands and knees, then on his stomach. He found the victim about
ten feet inside the void. His legs were pinned by the collapsed roof.
Perella made several trips with air bags, shoring, and other rescue
materials He and South installed the air bags and cribbing around the man,
inflated the bags, and lifted enough of the roof to free the man and drag
him to safety.
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The man told South that another worker was also trapped. South re-entered the void and found the second victim a few feet beyond where the first victim had been trapped. Rescue Company 3 now arrived and took over the rescue of this second man, although Firefighters South and Perella remained to assist. Although removed from the building, this victim had been killed in the initial collapse. |
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Greg Mundy Honorable Mention |
Kevin Swaim $100 Award |
| Irmo, SC Fire District |
| At 8 PM on March 8, 2000, Deputy Chief Greg Mundy was dispatched to a residential structure fire with reports that the caller was trapped by smoke and heat on the second floor. On arrival Chief Mundy reported light smoke from the eaves. Lieutenant Kevin Swaim now arrived and donned his personal protective equipment, including SCBA. The first due engine was still a few minutes out. Chief Mundy decided to attempt a rescue. He forced the front door open and was met by heavy smoke. Fire was visible in a first floor room. Lt. Swaim now entered the building, made his way to the second floor, and broke a window to ventilate the structure. | This improved visibility, and Swaim followed the sound of the victims’ voices to their location. He took the first victim to the stairwell where Chief Mundy, in turnouts but without SCBA, guided the victim down the stairs to the street. Mundy returned to the top of the stairs, got the second victim from Swaim, and led him to safety. Swaim was continuing his search when the engine crew arrived and supported him with a hose line. There were no other victims. The fire was soon extinguished. |
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