Firehouse Magazine Rescue Award Winners for 1997
These winners were recognized in the April, 1998 Issue of Firehouse Magazine.
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| Dan Doscher | North Patchogue, NY | Greg Mays | Menlo Park, CA | Adolfo Rodriguez | Los Angeles County, CA |
| Frank Fraone | Menlo Park, CA | Donald Mullen | Boston, MA | William Callahan | Bronx, NY |
| Chad Gabriel | Columbus, OH | Ali Pasha | Brooklyn, NY | Thomas O'Meara | Bronx, NY |
| Frank Jewett | Nyack, NY | Matthew Piccione | Rockaway Point, NY | Philip Gaetani | Brooklyn, NY |
| Raymond Krug | Buffalo, NY | Richard Tanner | Memphis, TN | Curt Meyran | Brooklyn, NY |
| Dan Kruschik | Edwardsville, IL | Tim Taylor | Clayton County, GA | Robert Donahue | Worcester, MA |
| Charles Lanza | Miami, FL | Jake Ching | Los Angeles County, CA | William Lynch | Worcester, MA |
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On
March 18th, 1997 at 2:47 p.m. the North Patchogue Fire Department responded to a house
fire. A neighbor advised Chief Blaum that an elderly man might be inside. Blaum and
Assistant Chief Durinick began a simultaneous search and fire attack, since the fire had
intensified to involve half the house. Former Chief Dan Doscher arrived and began a search, passing the hose line to enter the living room area. He found 85 year old Alfred Galati on the floor in a fetal position. Doscher lifted Mr. Galati and dragged him through the front door. Mr. Galati was critically burned, semi-conscious and barely breathing. Chief Doscher and Captain Meyer began treating Mr. Galati before transferring him to the North Patchogue Fire Department Ambulance. Mr. Galati was transported to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital and was later transferred to the State University Hospital at Stony Brook Burn Center. His condition improved over the next several days, but two weeks later his condition took a turn for the worse and he passed away. |
Dan Doscher, North Patchogue, NY FD |
 |
Captain Frank Fraone arrived on-scene of the Fordham Street Fire on Rescue 1. The crew learned that up to 15 people might be trapped in the structure. He went to secure utilities and was set upon by 3 large dogs. While the dogs were held at bay with an extinguisher the utilities were secured and Fraone pried the bars from the garage window with a metal cutting circular saw. As he opened the window Firefighter Susinetti kept the dogs busy by using a lawn mower, barbecue, garbage cans, fire ax and extinguisher. Fraone noticed a victim lying on a bed just inside the window. He alerted Susinetti and together they reached inside and lifted the victim to Fraone’s shoulder. They backed out of the yard with Susinetti once again keeping the dogs at bay while Fraone carried the child to the front of the home where he handed the child to off-duty firefighter Neylan, who carried the child to an ambulance. The child was one of two victims to survive the fire. Fraone entered the front plate glass window and helped fire personnel to drag another victim from the living room. He re-entered the structure to assist in the rescue of yet another victim. |
Frank Fraone, Menlo Park, CA Fire Protection District |
 |
At 10:30 P.M. on 1 May , 1996, District Chief Paul
Davis was driving east on Interstate 70 when he noticed smoke venting from the vacant
Capital Manufacturing building. He called for a large box assignment for a building with a
"working fire". He saw five civilians stagger from the building. They said that there was one more individual inside. He directed Engine 2 and 3, Ladder 2 and Rescue 2 to begin their primary search inside. Lt. Cloud and Firefighter Gabriel were on Engine 2 to help in the primary search and extinguish fire along the way. As they extended their search through the second floor of the five story building, they found an unconscious man, and carried him through the heat and smoke and to safety. |
Chad Gabriel, Columbus, OH Bureau of Fire |
 |
At 2:52 A.M. on December 21,
1995, the volunteer firemen of the Nyack Fire Department were awakened by the fire whistle
and tone alerts summoning them to a structure fire on Main Street. The building was
heavily involved with fire beneath an outside wooden staircase. It was flowing up the
staircase and across a second story balcony. Police officers confirmed that there was one
occupant on the upper floor. The only access to these floors was the outside staircase. No apparatus had yet arrived on the scene when Battalion Chief Frank Jewett, wearing full turnout gear but no SCBA, attempted to ascend the stairs, but was beaten back by the flames. He asked a civilian bystander to aim a CO2 extinguisher at the head of the stairs, explaining that he would go through the flames as the C02 was being discharged. He complied, and Jewett climbed the stairs and dashed through the flames to the balcony. He entered the second floor hallway and searched for the occupant but found no one. He backtracked down the hallway to the stairs leading to the third floor, where he found Mrs. Horton. Jewett assured her that he would get them out safely and began descending the stairs. At the second floor landing it was apparent that the outside stairs were blocked by fire. Mrs. Horton said that there was a back staircase through the second floor apartment. Jewett broke one of the door panels, reached in and unlocked the door. They entered the apartment, found the entrance to the rear staircase and descended the narrow, snow covered steps. They were now in a backyard surrounded by the walls of other buildings. The only way out was the alleyway back to the outside staircase where the fire began. An Engine Company hose team was attacking the stairwell, and Chief Jewett was able to communicate with them. He instructed them to push back the flames toward the building so that he and Mrs. Horton could pass through the alley. He removed his turnout coat and covered Mrs. Horton’s head, neck and upper body. They dashed through the alleyway to safety. |
Frank Jewett, Nyack, NY FD |
 |
On Saturday, July 12, 1997 at
approximately 12:45, off duty Firefighter Raymond Krug of Engine 18 heard screams three
doors away. Someone was screaming "The baby’s in the pool, the baby’s in
the pool, call 9-1-1". He ran to his neighbors’ yard where he saw a 3 year old
child who had just been removed from the pool. Krug performed a primary assessment, determined that the child was not breathing and started CPR. He gave the child one initial breath, heard a gurgling sound and water came from the child’s mouth. After 3 or 4 more breaths and more water coming from the child’s mouth, the child started to breathe. This continued, with Krug assisting the child with breathing and placing him on his side so that the water would drain from his lungs, until the child took a few deep breaths and started crying. |
Raymond Krug, Buffalo, NY FD |
 |
Firefighter
Kruschik attempted to enter the basement of a residence to locate a 13 year old male
victim. He and another firefighter were driven out of the stairwell by intense heat.
Once the hoseline was advanced into the basement, Kruschik again entered the basement and located the victim. He removed the boy from the basement and carried him outside. The victim recovered from his injuries. |
Dan Kruschik, Edwardsville, IL FD |
 |
Chief
Lanza was watching Game 1 of the 1997 World Series at Pro Player Stadium, when he noticed
a fan slumping over in the next section. Without hesitation, he ran over to assist a man
who had suffered a heart attack and subsequent full arrest. Lanza began CPR.
After the victim’s pulse and heart rhythm were restored, he was transported to a local hospital. In this day and age, it is highly commendable for someone to initiate mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR without using any equipment. |
Charles Lanza, Metro-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami, FL |
 |
Firefighter Greg Mays
arrived at the Fordham Street Fire with Engine 77. The crew was advised that up to 15
people might be trapped in the structure. Mays pulled a line and attacked the fire in the
carport. He worked his way in front of the vehicle in the carport and through the front
door of the home. Mays and Acting
Captain Steele entered through the door and advanced the line through the living room
toward the bedroom area, where they found victim 1. Mays assisted Steele in lifting the
victim onto Steele’s shoulder and directed him toward the front window and the front
yard. The victim was one of only two survivors of this tragedy. Mays re-entered the
structure and advanced his hose to the back bedrooms where he heard Firefighter Cochrane
calling for assistance with another victim (Estimated weight 380 pounds).
They tried to drag her out with little success, as the burned skin of the victim peeled from her body, making movement difficult. Six other firefighters arrived and they succeeded in getting her outside. She did not survive her injuries. |
Greg Mays, Menlo Park, CA FD |
 |
A distraught man
approached Engine Company 9’s quarters in East Boston. He motioned Firefighter Shawn
Farrar to him, produced a handgun and waved it at Farrar. Lieutenant Donald Mullen, who
was nearby, ordered Farrar to go inside the firehouse and call the police. Mullen went
outside to divert the gunman’s attention.
They spoke for several minutes. Waving the gun, the man shouted, pointed the gun at himself and pulled the trigger, inflicting a serious wound to his head. With complete disregard for his safety, Lieutenant Mullen ran to the man to start life saving medical aid. He applied dressings to the wound and inserted an airway while the victim still clutched the loaded weapon. |
Donald Mullen, Boston, MA FD |
 |
As Ladder 30 arrived, fire was coming from the building‘s 6th
floor. A fire escape balcony served three windows on this floor. Fire was coming from two,
and heavy smoke was coming from the third. A man had come to this window but, finding the
fire escape blocked by fire, he went back inside. Firefighter Pasha realized that there was little time to make the rescue and he climbed the fire escape, past the flames, into the room where the man was last seen. He found Mr. Whaley and brought him onto the fire escape balcony. While waiting for the aerial ladder to be placed at the side of the fire escape, Pasha used his body to shield Mr. Whaley. Once Mr. Whaley was on the ladder, Pasha tried to re-enter the window, but he was forced to dive back onto the fire escape. He climbed onto the tip of the aerial ladder only seconds before the whole room erupted in flames. |
Ali Pasha, FDNY, Brooklyn, NY |
 |
At 5 A.M. on January 8, 1997
volunteer firefighter Matthew Piccione was on his way home from work. It was one of the
coldest days of the year. As he drove he noticed black smoke pouring down Hegeman Avenue.
As he approached Amboy Street the block was lit up with flames shooting thirty feet into
the air. He left his car and ran down the street, where he found homeless people staring
into the fire. One man said "Rosie is still in the truck!" Piccione said, "what?" The man said "Rosie is the only name she gave when she moved in about a month ago." Piccione crawled into the homeless shelter lot, which was surrounded by car and truck tires engulfed in flames. He found an old soda truck parked next to a derelict bus. The winds were very strong and the fire was growing. He reached the cab of the truck and found Rosie. She told him "I’m scared. This is my home. I can’t leave". Piccione assured the women that he was a firefighter and that they must move quickly. Despite her confused protests, he pulled the women out of the cab and carried her past the fire into the middle of the street out of harm’s way. Firefighter Piccione made this rescue before the arrival of any fire units at the scene. |
Matthew Piccione, Rockaway Point, NY FD |
 |
Memphis FD Truck
Company 3 arrived on the scene of a two story wood frame multi-family house with heavy
smoke and fire in the basement living area. Firefighter Tanner completed an exceptional
primary search and rescue on the ground level living area of the structure. He saved the life of a man asleep in bed. The rescue
occurred directly over the seat of the fire. Tanner opened the bedroom door, woke the
individual, and led him to the front door. He was forced to carry the individual out of
the burning building. He then provided medical care and assisted EMS with the victim’s treatment and preparation for transportation to the hospital. The man survived and was released from the hospital the same day. |
Richard Tanner, Memphis, TN FD |
 |
On November 22, Engine 10 was dispatched to a fire. Upon arrival,
the frame structure was almost fully involved in flames. Sergeant Tim Taylor,
Firefighter Jimmy Ward and Firefighter Jim Plug made up the crew of Engine 10. A relative
of the occupants told Taylor that a woman and her 6-month old baby were inside the
structure. The relative and others had tried to enter the baby’s room through a window but were pushed back by intense heat and smoke. The baby’s room was approximately 15 feet above ground level. The crew placed a fire service ladder up to the window, and with the aid of an 1 3/4" line, along with personal protective clothing and SCBA’s Taylor and Ward entered this hostile environment to attempt to rescue the baby. At this point the baby’s room was the only room not fully involved, but flames were pushing down the hallway. Smoke and heat inside the room were extreme, and from all indications, conditions were near flashover. Taylor located the baby lying in his crib, removed her to safety, and delivered her to waiting paramedics. The baby survived her injuries. |
Tim Taylor, Clayton County, GA FD |
Los Angeles County, CA FD |
| On the morning
of October 28, 1996, Engine 20 responded to a residential structure fire with reported
persons trapped. Firefighters Adolfo Rodriguez and Jake Ching were told by residents that
their baby was still inside. Donning Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, they entered the well involved structure, with heavy smoke through the front bedroom windows, to search for the child. By this time, the living room, dining room and kitchen areas were fully on fire. They quickly searched through the bedroom and upon entering the hallway found a four year old boy lying face down next to the wall. |
Taking the
child, they made their way back to the bedroom windows where Engine 20 members assisted
with their exit. Flames flashed across the. bedroom ceiling and out the top of the bedroom
windows as they escaped. An ambulance rushed the child to the hospital, where he expired. Both firefighters used all their capabilities to give the child the best chance for survival. At great personal risk they entered the fully involved structure without hose line protection to search and find the child. |
FDNY, Bronx, NY |
| At
0323 on Sunday October 19, 1997, Ladder 49 responded to a fire at 1400 Jesup Ave. As the
inside team, including Firefighter Callahan, made its way up the stairs to the second
floor landing, occupants of the adjoining apartment said that not only were two children
and their mother trapped in the apartment, but two male boarders were also trapped in the
rear bedroom.
They could hear the cries of 11 year old Joel Montalban from inside the dark apartment. The team entered and checked behind and around the entrance door. Finding no one, they called out as they methodically advanced down the hall. Callahan crawled into the front bedroom, called out, and waited, hoping for a response. He heard a faint, weak, cry from Joel. Callahan focused on this sound and quickly crawled in his direction. Low to the floor, and shining his light out in front of him, he came upon Joel. He scooped him up into his arms and brought him out to the safety of the public hall. Joel cried out to Bill that his infant brother and mother were still in the apartment. |
As he made his way down
the hall he passed Firefighter 0’ Meara clutching the infant Stephen Montalban in his
arms, heading to the public hall. The systematic search of the apartment resumed. Just
outside the kitchen the team came upon Grizelda Montalban lying burned and unconscious on
the floor. Flames from the kitchen lapped over their heads.
0’Meara expended his extinguisher on the fire, pushing it back into the kitchen. This momentary break allowed Callahan and 0’ Meara to lift Ms. Montalban and carry her back down the hall. Concerned with the reports of two males still in the apartment, Callahan and 0’Meara returned for a third time. Fortunately, reports of the two trapped men were unfounded. Return to Directory for This Page |
| FDNY, Brooklyn, NY |
| As Captain Gaetani got off Ladder 123 a woman was
screaming that her two grandchildren were still in the basement. He knew that he would not
be in time to save the children if he waited for a charged line.
He decided to chance going to the basement via the interior stairs. He crawled down the hallway to the door to the interior stairs, opened the door and encountered intense heat. At this point he met Firefighter Meyran, who said that an exterior door in the rear led to the basement. They proceeded to the rear yard via the kitchen door and forced open a metal cellar door leading to the basement. At the bottom of the stairs another door also required forcible entry. As this door opened they met high heat and thick smoke that forced them to their hands and knees. They began a search. Hearing a moan, they stopped to key in on the sound. Meyran found one of the victims and made a quick exit. |
After directing him to the way out, Gaetani continued
deeper into the room to search for the other victim. As he crawled into the bedroom, his
flashlight shone on Alize Chalmer’s face. He moved in for a closer look to see if it
was a doll. Realizing that it wasn’t, he picked her up and began his way out.
On his way up the stairs to the rear yard, the cellar door came down on top of him and entangled his mask. Thinking only of the child, Gaetani called for Meyran to take the child. A member from Ladder 132 released the door from Gactani’s mask. The children were rushed to King’s County Hospital and both survived. Without the heroic efforts and incisive decisions of Gaetani and Meyran, the children would surely have perished in the fire. |
Worcester, MA FD |
| Engine 16 was the first company
to arrive at a three story wood frame six family duplex with heavy smoke showing from the
top floor. Police confirmed that a child was trapped on the top floor.
Firefighter Donahue, the senior man, ordered a hose to be stretched and then sprinted up to the top floor. Without his SCBA, Donahue entered the apartment with heavy fire already consuming the two rear bedrooms and part of the kitchen. He began his search in the living room, heading towards the kitchen, where the fire was rapidly extending towards him. Firefighter Lynch now reached the fire floor with an uncharged hose. As Donahue continued his search, Lynch advanced the line into the apartment while calling for the line to be charged.
|
Donahue heard a
faint whimper to his left. He went in the direction of the sound, where he found a couch.
He searched under a blanket on the couch, found 3 year old Eric Dyberg, and scooped him
up. As Donahue headed for the exit, fire raced along the ceiling in the living room,
threatening their escape.
Lynch, now with a charged line, beat the fire back into the kitchen, allowing Donahue to get down to the street. Once safely in the street, the child began shallow breathing and was transported to the hospital, where he rapidly recovered. A new report of a second child trapped sent Donahue back to the fire floor to continue his search and rejoin Lynch. No second child was found. |
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