Firehouse Magazine Rescue Award Winners for 2002
These winners were recognized in the April, 2003 Issue of Firehouse Magazine.
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| Cobb, Anthony | Brewer, ME FD | Covington, Paul E. | Boston FD | Dozier, Roderick | Prince George's County MD FD |
| Conlin, Michael | Jersey City, NJ FD | Ryan, Robert J. | Boston FD | Schultz, David H. | Prince George's County MD FD |
| O'Connor, Shawn | Jersey City, NJ FD | Tobin, William A. | Boston FD | Streater, William M. | Prince George's County MD FD |
| Moran, James | Jersey City, NJ FD | Daily, Chris | Detroit FD | Forgea, George | East Greenbush NY FD |
| Corwin, Christopher | Boston FD | Delibera, Anthony | Detroit FD | Gallagher, James | Contra Costa CA FD |
| Dannaher, Michael S. | Boston FD | Dietrich, James | St. Louis FD | Liberman, Chris | Contra Costa CA FD |
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Firefighter Anthony Cobb was working his second job as a sheriff’s deputy when he heard the dispatch of Brewer units to a mobile home fire. Three minutes later Cobb arrived at the scene in his sheriff’s cruiser. The center of the trailer was aflame. A neighbor told him that two people were inside. With no protective equipment Cobb entered the structure. Smoke forced him to crawl low to the floor. He saw a man’s hand through the smoke, grabbed it, and began to drag the 220 pound victim back to the door. Cobb was overcome by smoke and had to leave the trailer to get fresh air. He
immediately returned, grabbed the victim, and dragged him out the door to
the ground. Cobb reentered
the trailer to search for the second victim, but heat and smoke drove him
out. As he clerked the front door the entire trailer flashed over.
Although his own breathing passages were scorched and he was
suffering from first degree burns, Cobb and bystanders dragged the victim
to a safe area and Cobb performed CPR.
At this point fire units arrived on scene and the victim was
transported to the hospital. Although his pulse was restored in the ambulance he did not
survive his injuries. The
other victim perished in the fire. |
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Anthony
Cobb Brewer, ME, Fire Dept. $100 Award |
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Christopher Corwin $100 Award |
Michel S. Dannaher $100Award |
Boston FD Ladder 1 |
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On December 18, 2002, at 1129 hours, Engine Company 8 and Ladder Company 1 responded to 539 Commercial Street for a reported drowning. Upon arrival, a hysterical, screaming woman was observed at the sea wall approximately sixty yards from the street. Firefighter Christopher Corwin of Ladder Company l, detailed to Engine Company 8, and Firefighter Michael S. Dannaher of Ladder Company 1, ran toward the woman. Arriving first, Fire Fighter Corwin observed a young male in the water approximately seven feet down from the top of the sea wall. |
The victim was a fourteen years old autistic male, big for his age, and fully clothed in winter weight clothing. It was obvious that there was not enough time to don the survival suit before attempting a rescue. |
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Chris
Daily Engine
49 Detroit FD $100 Award |
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Michael Conlin $100 Award |
Shawn O’Connor $100 Award |
James Moran $100 Award |
Jersey City, NJ, FD Squad 4 |
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On May 26,
2002, Squad 4 responded to a working fire in a two story frame dwelling.
While searching the second floor, one of the rooms flashed over into the
hallway, cutting off the crew in the rear rooms. A hose line was quickly
deployed and the primary search continued. Captain Conlin saw the image of
a victim with the thermal imaging camera. He and Firefighter Shawn
O'Connor removed the victim past the fire apartment and down to street
level where CPR was administered.
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While the first victim was being removed, Firefighter James Moran located and began dragging another victim to the hall where he was assisted by other members of the company. Both victims were transported to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation and burnsThey both survived.
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Paul E. Covington Rescue 2 $100 Award |
Robert J. Ryan Ladder 16 $100 Award |
William A. Tobin Rescue 2 $100 Award |
Boston FD |
On January 3, 2002, at 1717 hours, Box 366 was struck for a building fire at 18-20 Malta Street, District 12. Companies were informed while responding that calls were being received that a woman was trapped on the second floor of the fire building. Upon arrival, heavy smoke was issuing from the large two and one half story, wood frame dwelling. Fire Lieutenant William A. Tobin and Firefighter Paul E. Covington, Rescue Company 2, performing a primary search with Firefighter Robert J. Ryan, Ladder Company 16, found a 91 year old woman on a dining room floor. |
She had stopped breathing and was near death. Lieutenant Tobin removed his face piece and placed it on the victim. Covington and Ryan picked her up while Tobin continued to give her air from his mask. When they reached the outside, Covington and Ryan began CPR. The woman began to breath again and was transported to the hospital, where she survived her ordeal. |
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Anthony
Delibera Squad 6 Detroit FD $100 Award |
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On July 28, 2002 at 2015 hours, Engine 24 responded to a first alarm fire at a two story brick two family flat with heavy smoke showing from the rear. As a line was being stretched Captain James Dietrich and Firefighter Thomas McLaughlin made entry through the front door. Bystanders had reported a wheelchair bound victim on the first floor. Dietrich and McLaughlin began searching through heavy black smoke but as they moved through the front room they became separated. As McLaughlin remained in the front room Dietrich moved through the dining room and on to a rear bedroom. He heard a faint noise and moving toward it found a woman, wheelchair bound. The wheelchair was a recumbent type electric. Dietrich called for help but was too far from McLaughlin for him to hear. He feared removing the victim from the chair, which might cause further injury. The room was becoming untenable due to increasing heat so he dragged both the chair and the victim through the two rooms to the front door and safety. The woman was passed on to medical personnel and transported to the hospital.
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James
Dietrich Engine 24 St. Louis FD $100 Award |
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No Picture |
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Roderick C. Dozier $100 Award |
David H. Schultz $100 Award |
William L. Streater Honorable Mention |
Prince George's County, MD, FD Station 29 |
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In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 24, 2002, units were dispatched a reported building fire. Units were advised that there was a report of children trapped. Engine 294 encountered a three-story garden apartment with smoke showing. Firefighter William L. Streater advanced an attack line through the front door of the building and up into the apartment unit's entrance on the second floor. The building housed two-story apartment units on the second and third floors. The apartment unit contained a separate stairway to the bedrooms. The crew encountered heavy smoke conditions in the apartment, particularly on the upper level. Lieutenant David H. Schultz and Firefighter Roderick C. Dozier immediately ascended the steps to the upstairs bedrooms to search for the children. |
During their search they found a small but smoky fire in one of the bedrooms. An additional crew of firefighters remained outside the apartment and flaked out the hose line while Streater advanced the hose line to the upstairs bedrooms. Without waiting for the protection of a hose line, Schultz and Dozier conducted a quick search of the fire room and located two small children lying unconscious on their beds. They immediately removed the children down the stairs and to the front of the building, where they began to provide medical treatment. Both children were transported to the hospital. Unfortunately, they later succumbed to their injuries. |
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At 10 AM on
November 27, 2002 the East Greenbush Fire Company received a 911 call that
a house was on fire. It took
a couple of 911 calls to get an accurate address.
The caller reported that a paralyzed man was trapped in the house.
Volunteer Assistant Chief George Forgea was at work when he heard
the call on a scanner. He
immediately drove to the scene and arrived before fire units.
The two story wood house was venting dense clouds of smoke.
A woman outside screamed that her paralyzed father was trapped
inside. Although he lacked
any equipment, Chief Forgea entered the home and began crawling through
dense smoke through large quantities of debris and clutter toward the
sounds of the trapped man’s voice. East Greenbush Police Officer Edward
Miano also entered the house, remaining a few feet from the door.
About 25 feet into the house Chief Forgea found the victim, who was
lying in a very hot area near the origin of the fire.
Forgea pulled him to the front room, where Officer Miano helped to
drag the victim outside. Chief
Forgea and the victim were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
He Chief, Officer Miano and the victim all survived their ordeal.
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George
Forgea East Greenbush, NY, Fire Company $100 Award |
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James Gallagher $100 Award |
Chris Liberman Honorable mention |
Contra Costa County, CA, FD Engine 86 |
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Firefighter
/ Paramedic Gallagher and Firefighter Liberman advanced a hose line to clear
the way through flames in a fully involved two story single family home to
search for children who were reported to be trapped in upstairs bedrooms.
After knocking down the visible fire Gallagher and Liberman moved
ahead of the hose line to make a search.
Liberman found one victim and removed him to the street.
Returning, he and Gallagher continued searching.
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Gallagher
found a second victim and Liberman found a third.
They too were removed to the street.
At this point Gallagher began advanced life support while Liberman
returned to fight the fire. Gallagher
intubated two victims and ministered to them while on the way to the
hospital two of the children
later died. The third
survived.
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