Firehouse Magazine Rescue Award Winners for 2003
These winners were recognized in the April, 2004 Issue of Firehouse Magazine.
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| Jay Montgomery | Cambridge OH FD | Edward Bowman | Fairfax County VA FD | Robert Connolly | Boston FD |
| George Berthold Jr. | Presidio CA FD | Andréa Burcy | Boston FD | Cornell Horton | Boston FD |
| Michael Allen | Fairfax County VA FD | Brian Burke | Boston FD | Stephen Irving | Boston FD |
| Thor Barr | New Orleans FD | James Carpenter | Prince George's County MD FD | Lester Flint | Fairfax County VA FD |
| John Beardmore | Prince George's County MD FD | Brian Cobb | Boston FD | Samuel Gray | Fairfax County VA FD |
| Charles Groce | Prince George's County MD FD | Chris Floyd | Prince George's County MD FD | Elmer Urbeso | New Orleans FD |
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On July 10, 2003 companies responded to
a report of a structure fire. Upon
arrival, heavy smoke and fire were visible in a one story, single-family
dwelling. Neighbors informed the crew that people were trapped in the
house. Captain Jay Montgomery
moved to the rear of the house, where he noticed that neighbors had placed
a picnic table against the house and were attempting to gain entry.
Asking them to help him, he entered the window and began a search
of the area, located a woman inside and removed her to the window.
He returned to the area and found a pet dog, which he also removed.
On his third trip inside, with increasing smoke and fire, he found
a young boy and removed him to waiting neighbors.
As fire extended into the room, he left the window and returned to
his crew to continue with the fire attack. |
Jay Montgomery Cambridge, OH FD Crew 1 $150 Award |
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On Oct. 24, 2003, Captain George
Berthold, Jr. was off-duty,
playing with his four-year-old son on his front lawn in Pacifica. A woman driving nearby lost control of her car and struck a
utility pole, splitting it in half. The
car came to rest near a house. Berthold
ran up to corner to find the car becoming well-involved in fire and
hanging electric wires. Wearing only shorts and a T-shirt,
Berthold ran up to the car. He
and three other bystanders attempted to free the victim.
Berthold tried four times as the others tried to extinguish the
fire. He finally pulled the
victim from the car. She
suffered a broken arm, broken leg and other injuries as a result of the
accident. Berthold suffered minor injuries to his legs. |
George Berthold, Jr. Presidio, CA FD National Park Service $150 Award |
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Off duty
Firefighter Michael Allen saw an out of control automobile drive over a
median strip into northbound traffic, and into a small embankment. Its engine was still running, and its wheels were spinning
out of control on the embankment hill.
Allen requested a bystander to call 911. He ran to the car and
noticed that the driver was unconscious, unresponsive, and seizing. The
doors were locked, and the inside of the car was filled with smoke.
He picked up a rock and broke the car’s rear window.
With the wheels still spinning wildly, he crawled through the rear
window to free the patient from her seat belt, and pulled her legs
from the accelerator pedal. He
then assessed her airway, and maintained cervical immobilization.
The breaking of the window and opening of the doors allowed the
black, thick smoke (with the smell of electrical fire) to escape.
At this point, Engine Company 37 units arrived and completed the
rescue. |
Michael Allen Fairfax County VA FD Station 37 $100 Award |
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Thor Barr $100 Award |
Elmer Urbeso $100 Award |
New Orleans FD Engine 3 |
| Engine 3 was dispatched to a one alarm fire. They found a single story wood frame building with an unoccupied business on one side of the structure and a residence on the other. The front of the residence was fully involved in fire. A police officer on the scene notified Captain Elmer Urbeso that a victim might be trapped inside of the dwelling. The Captain notified incoming companies of possible persons trapped, as he and Firefighter Thor Barr entered the building. They broke down a rear door into the smoke filled kitchen, crawled through the kitchen into a hallway and located a bedroom door. | After negative searches of three rooms, they found a man lodged between a bed and wall under some furniture. Captain Urbeso notified the other companies that they had found the victim and would require assistance. He and Firefighter Barr lifted the bed and dislodged the victim. After breaking out a window to release the heat and smoke, they signaled firefighters outside of their location. They gently passed the injured man outside to waiting firefighters, who commenced first aid. |
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Edward Bowman $100 Award |
Samuel Gray $100 Award |
Lester Flint $100 Award |
Fairfax County, VA FD Station 1 |
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Units
from McLean Fire and Rescue Station responded to a report of workers
trapped in mud due to a trench collapse.
First arriving units reported two men trapped in an 8 ½ foot deep
trench against the foundation wall of a single-family dwelling.
The victims had been resealing the foundation wall from water
leakage. The trench was not shored, unprotected, and dirt removed from the trench was
precariously close to the edge of the trench wall. The wall had collapsed and trapped the two workers. The
first victim was trapped to his waist in the heavy, thick, saturated clay.
He was positioned partially on top of victim 2.
Victim 2 was trapped up to his neck in the heavy clay with the
additional weight of his co-worker upon him.
The weight of the soil and his co-worker were causing victim 2 to
suffer severe crushing pressures upon his body and most importantly his
chest.
The elevated weight restricted his breathing to critical levels.
Victim 2 was very ashen in color upon the first unit's arrival, due to his
inadequate breathing depth and rate. His medical condition was
deteriorating rapidly and he was approaching unconsciousness. |
Additionally, they provided emergency medical intervention, including supplemental oxygen therapy to both victims. In conjunction with their efforts, Gray and Bowman directed fire personnel to ready the site. Escape ladders were established, bucket brigades for removing dirt were engaged, and construction materials were rounded up to construct interim shoring until the Technical Rescue Group arrived. Victim
1 was removed within 14 minutes of arrival of Company 1.
He suffered injuries to his lower limbs and was transported to a
Hospital.
The second victim was now exposed and concentrated rescue efforts
continued to restore adequate air movement and his ultimate removal from
the collapse. Victim 2's status rapidly improved from the rescue efforts
and upon arrival of the Technical Rescue Group. A full Technical Rescue Operation ensued. McLean Fire units and personnel remained in a supportive role. The conventional trench rescue operations yielded the final extrication, packaging, and transport of the second victim to Fairfax Hospital within an hour and twenty nine minutes of the first unit's arrival. Both victims received definitive treatment and care at the hospital and ultimately went home to their families with complete recoveries.
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Robert J. Connolly Ladder 11 $100 Award |
Stephen E. Irving Engine 7 $100 Award |
Brian Cobb Ladder 14 $100 Award |
Boston FD |
| On
March 10, 2003, at 2224 hours, Box 5171 was struck for a building fire at
330 Summit Avenue in District 11.
Ladder Company 14 reported smoke showing and upon his arrival,
District 11 observed heavy fire showing from the first floor in the rear
of the building extending to the second floor.
Lieutenant Robert J. Connolly of Ladder Company 11, Firefighter
Stephen F. Irving of Engine Company 7 (detailed to Ladder Company 11), and
Firefighter Brian Cobb of Ladder Company 14 made their way to the second
floor to conduct a search. Because of the heat, heavy smoke and zero
visibility, they had to make the search on their hands and knees. While
moving down a hallway and sweeping the floor in front of him, Irving came
upon an unconscious female. |
The victim was wedged between a doorway, making it difficult for him to remove her, and he called out for assistance. Connolly and Cobb made their way to the victim and assisted Irving in removing her to the safety of the street. She was then transported by EMS to the Massachusetts General Hospital suffering from respiratory arrest. She was intubated and subsequently placed into a hyperbaric chamber. Because this rescue was made under rapidly deteriorating fire conditions, without the benefit of a charged line or proper ventilation, these members placed themselves at great personal risk.
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John Beardmore $100 Award |
Charles Groce $100 Award |
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Prince George’s County, MD FD Station 40 |
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Rescue
Squad 40 responded to Charles County for a reported house fire.
Charles County communications notified all units that this was a
"working fire with a report of one trapped." The crew encountered
fire showing from the left and rear sides and heavy smoke conditions
throughout the one-story, single family residence. |
They entered the house from the rear and began to search for victims. In the bathroom they found an unconscious victim, who was carried outside to safety and placed in the care of awaiting emergency medical personnel. |
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Aundria D. Burcy $100 Award |
Cornell Horton $100 Award |
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Boston FD Engine 49 |
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On February 12, 2003, Box 3669, for which two alarms were struck, was transmitted for a building fire. Firefighter Aundria D. Burcy of Engine Company 49, and Firefighter Cornell Horton of Engine Company 49, while off duty, were driving by in separate vehicles when they happened upon the incident. Heavy
fire was visible from the apartment complex.
Both members entered the building from the rear and alerted occupants
by banging on doors while making their way to the fire floor.
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During the primary search, Firefighter Burcy located two children and removed them to the safety of the street. After completing the primary search, Firefighter Horton reported to the first arriving companies and directed them to the location of fire. Both members performed these actions at great personal risk, without the aid of personal protective equipment or self contained breathing apparatus, and before lines were in place |
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Ladder
Company 16 responded to a central station alarm in District 12. Upon
arrival, they 16 observed smoke showing from a first floor apartment. |
Brian Burke Boston FD Ladder 16 $100 Award |
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James Carpenter $100 Award |
Chris Floyd $100 Award |
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Prince George’s County MD FD Station 33 |
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Responding units
learned of persons trapped in an involved structure.
They found a three-story garden apartment with fire showing from the
rear and heavy smoke from the front.
Two civilians were seen dragging mattresses to the rear of the
structure and yelling to Volunteer Firefighter James Carpenter, the Officer
of Truck 33, that people were hanging from the rear of the structure.
Others shouted that a person was trapped in the apartment above the
fire. Looking
into the stairwell, Carpenter could see that the fire apartment door was
open and dispatched Firefighter Christopher Floyd to the floor above the
fire to look for this person.
Carpenter then grabbed an extension ladder and ran to the rear of the
structure.
There he found two people hanging from the second floor windows who
were cut off from escape by the heat and smoke.
He raised the extension ladder to the trapped civilians and rescued
both. |
irefighter Floyd was also busy with a rescue. He proceeded to the floor above the fire, passing the fire apartment where fire and smoke were now coming out into the hallway. Upon entering the apartment above, he found a semi- conscious woman. Floyd removed his mask, giving the woman clean air, and carried her back down to the front of the building. |
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| 2000 Directory of Winners | 2001 Directory of Winners | 2003 Directory of Winners