2017 Valor Awards: Unit Citations

1. Belvidere, IL, Fire Department

Engine 102, Ladder 150

On March 10, 2017, the Belvidere, IL, Fire Department responded to a smoke investigation at a 13-unit apartment building. Dispatch informed units en route that the building was fully charged with smoke, and people were jumping out of the windows, some were hanging out the windows screaming for help, and others were trapped inside. Belvidere's initial response included a three-person engine, a three-person truck and an incident commander. First-arriving Engine 102 was tasked with suppression, and Ladder 150 was tasked with rescue. Additional help was requested using the Illinois MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) prior to Belvidere's arrival.

Ladder 150’s backseat firefighter positioned two roof ladders to two different windows, aiding two adult males with self-rescue. The company officer threw a 24-foot extension ladder and rescued a mother and her two adult sons from a third-floor window.

The two firefighters of the Ladder 150 crew met a woman at the door who said her kids were inside. They entered the fire building to search in zero-visibility conditions. The firefighters came across two unresponsive adults on the third floor. At the same time, the Ladder 150 company officer finished the ladder rescue, went to the front door, and encountered the same woman who told him that her children were in her apartment on the third floor. He entered to search as well and encountered his crew rescuing the two adults. He helped drag an adult male out of the building, and reentered to search for the kids. The two firefighters finished rescuing the adult female while the company officer began searching the third-floor apartment. Using a thermal imager, he located an unconscious 8-year-old girl and carried her downstairs.

The Ladder 150 crew ultimately rescued five individuals with ground ladders and three unconscious victims from the third floor. Seven of the eight individuals made a full recovery. One did not survive, despite on scene CPR by the suppression engine driver.

Simultaneously during the rescues, Engine 102 performed a transitional exterior attack on the fire that was blowing out a lower-level window, and entered for an interior attack. The engineer secured his own water supply. On the way to the lower level, the suppression crew came across an unresponsive 5-year-old boy on the ground floor, carried him outside to medical personnel, and then began suppression. The boy has made a full recovery.

2. St. Louis, MO, Fire Department

Engine 28, Engine 24, Engine 26, Truck 10, Truck 13, Rescue Squad 2, Hook & Ladder 5, Medic 5, Medic 10, Medic 13, Medic 26, Battalion Chief 805, Battalion Chief 801, Paramedic Supervisor 704

On the morning of Jan. 24, 2017, the St. Louis Fire Department (STLFD) was dispatched to the 4600 block of Evans Avenue for a report of fire in a building with occupants trapped. Engine Company 28 arrived on the scene to find a two-story, two-family occupied flat with fire showing and reports of multiple occupants trapped in the building.

The captain of Engine 28, upon entering the building, was met by an occupant at the front door informing him of several members of his family, many who were children, trapped on the second floor in the fire room.

As Engine 28 was making their entry to the second floor to begin search and rescue, many of the additional STLFD/EMS companies were arriving on scene. All companies who were dispatched to this scene were aware of the report of occupants trapped and, more importantly, realized that a quick coordinated search and removal of all occupants would be vital to ensure the survival of this family.

The final count in this rescue was two adults and five children, all of whom had to be carried out of the building. One of the adult occupants was found on the steps, unconscious and barely breathing, and had to be resuscitated on the front lawn of the fire building. The additional occupants—one adult and five children—were all found by members of the STLFD, unconscious and in respiratory arrest on the fire floor. These occupants were removed from the fire building to the exterior where lifesaving procedures and intervention were performed by both firefighters and the STLFD/EMS members.

All of the search and rescue within the building was accomplished under high heat and fire conditions with what has been reported as near zero visibility.

“As fire chief for the City of St Louis, I have never in my 40 years of service seen a more coordinated and heroic search and rescue with a completely positive outcome, with all seven members of this family surviving this horrific fire event,” said Chief Dennis M. Jenkerson.

3. San Diego Fire-Rescue

Engine 35, Truck 35

On April 30, 2017, a group of friends had gathered at the swimming pool of an apartment complex to celebrate a birthday. One of the residents of the complex, who was not attending the party, came down to the pool and sat on a nearby lounge chair. Just after 6 p.m., the guest of honor approached the man and asked if he wanted to join them. That’s when the resident pulled a pistol out of his backpack and shot the birthday celebrant three times. He then began firing more shots into the crowd at the pool.

Engine 35 was assigned to the incident and arrived within minutes. Truck 35 had just been canceled from another response but heard over San Diego Police Department (SDPD) radio traffic that the other Station 35 crew had arrived at the scene of an active shooter. T35 immediately placed themselves on the call and responded to aid E35.

The E35 fire engineer positioned the apparatus in the intersection leading into the condominium complex. Soon after coming to a stop, a security guard for the condominium complex told the E35 captain that multiple persons had been shot. The security guard had five or six victims with him, three of whom had gunshot wounds. The E35 captain requested additional San Diego Fire-Rescue resources and the crew began treating the victims.

T35 arrived and encountered a male gunshot victim who was lying in a grassy area with one police officer working to treat him. As the T35 captain and crew ran toward the pool area, they began triaging the injured. The T35 crew continued another 50 yards to the pool area where most of the victims were located. Upon entering the pool area, they encountered two female victims who had been shot and another shooting victim in a nearby stairwell. The T35 crew split up so that they could assess and treat as many of the shooting victims as possible. SDPD officers were performing CPR on a fifth patient (the suspect, who was pulseless), and the T35 firefighter/paramedic evaluated and declared the victim deceased.

Due to their courage and decisive actions in a chaotic environment where it was unknown how many shooters were involved or running loose, all of the shooting victims were rapidly assessed and treated. Eight victims were transported to area hospitals. Unfortunately, despite the rapid advanced life support care provided by both E35 and T35 crews, one of the shooting victims did not survive her injuries and was pronounced deceased upon arrival at a local trauma center.

4. Chicago Fire Department

Engine 95, Truck 26, Engine 44, Truck 36

On Feb. 11, 2017, Engine 95, Truck 26, Engine 44 and Truck 36 were dispatched to an alarm on Monroe Street. Upon arrival, Engine 95 encountered a two-story brick apartment building with smoke and fire emanating from a second-floor bedroom window. Engine 95 led out a 2½-inch hoseline connected to 100-foot-long 1¾-inch line through the front door and up the stairwell to the second-floor landing to protect the stairwell for egress of any fire victims that may still be trapped on the second floor.

Simultaneously members of Truck 26 raised the aerial ladder to the roof to start ventilation, as well as a 20-foot straight-frame ladder to side A to aid in victim and firefighter rescue if needed.

At this point, Engine 95 encountered zero-visibility and extreme heat conditions while advancing the line to the seat of the fire in the front of the second-floor apartment. The members of Truck 26 assigned to search and rescue operations encountered a man in a wheelchair unable to move due to his physical limitations. With time being of the essence, the crew removed him to the sidewalk down the street.

With the arrival of Engine 44 and Truck 36, members of Engine 44 secured a hydrant but did not lead-out a line. Members were ordered to conduct searches with the remaining members of Truck 36 who were not assisting Truck 26 with roof operations. Members of Engine 44 and Truck 36 found a child still in her bed in the basement bedroom along with her mother.

In all, seven adults and 10 children were rescued. Through a coordinated rescue effort in extreme conditions, none of the 17 civilians or any of the firefighters needed medical treatment or transport to medical facility.

Editor’s Note: Firehouse recognizes a tie for fifth place.

5. Dallas Fire-Rescue Department

Engine 9

On Aug. 2, 2017, the crew of Engine 9 (A-shift)—led by Acting Officer Brad Williams and crewmembers Javier Alvarado, Steve Muncrief and Danny Fey—responded to a 9-1-1 call for an aggravated assault. The original caller was a young woman who lived in the house, stating that her mother was being assaulted by her live-in boyfriend.

Upon the arrival of Engine 9, the young woman reported that both her mother and child were still inside the house. The crew sized up the situation and asked about what was taking place inside the house and whether any weapons were present. Engine 9’s crew could hear noise inside the house, and without any police protection, decided to take action with the first priority being to remove the child from the house.

Williams kicked in the front door and the crew made entry into the house together. From the rear bedroom, a man opened the door and screamed at the crew to get out of the house, then slammed the door shut. The young woman told Williams that the child was in a separate bedroom on the other side of the home, and she was given instructions to go get the child while the crew ensured that area of the house remained clear. The crew cleared the home of the child, but the man was still in the back room assaulting the other woman.

The crew tried to talk the man out with no success, and the sounds of an obvious struggle were getting louder by the second. Without police presence, the Engine 9 crew went to the back of the house, not knowing what was on the other side of the door, and kicked in the door to the room. Inside, they observed a man of significant size and stature holding the woman by the hair and repeatedly striking her with his fist. They rushed in, took the man down and restrained him until the arrival of the Dallas Police Department. The woman was able to retreat to a separate room and await treatment by paramedics. She sustained significant facial and bodily injuries, in addition to showing evidence of head trauma, and was taken to a local ER.

It is the opinion of all Dallas Fire-Rescue chief-level officers that the actions of Engine 9 undoubtedly saved this woman's life. A couple of shifts later, the engine company stopped by the home to check on the assault victim. The woman was very thankful, echoing the DFR officers, told them that they definitely saved her life that night.

5. Murrieta, CA, Fire & Rescue

Swiftwater Rescue Team

On Jan. 22, 2017, Southern California was being pelted by a strong winter storm. Murrieta Fire & Rescue (MFR) units were dispatched to a report of a family of four—two children ages 2 and 6, a mother and another adult relative—in a pickup truck requiring rescue from a fast-moving creek. The department up-staffed a Type III engine with swiftwater personnel in anticipation of such emergencies.

The engine arrived and parked safely off the bank of the creek, to be used for anchoring. Crews encountered the four family members in the vehicle. Heavy rain continued to fall, and the mother reported that she could feel the vehicle moving. The water level was just below the bottom of the pickup’s windows.

With water in the creek still rising and with the potential of the truck being dislodged and continuing further downstream, the swiftwater members—Capt. Sean DeGrave, Capt. Todd Bradstreet and Engineer Mike Macalinao—developed a plan of action. By this time, the on-duty battalion chief was at the scene and assumed command. Command requested additional units for downstream positioning and highway patrol to halt traffic on Interstate 15, where two engine companies were positioning for possible downstream retrieval. Murrieta police assisted by providing upstream spotters. American Medical Response (AMR) personnel were at the scene and prepared to provide medical care, specifically warming for the patients.

MFR’s three swiftwater-trained firefighters set up entry and retrieval points. At great, but calculated, risk to themselves, they alternated in entering the rapid-moving water, allowing it to take them to the family as they swam out. Four times, they placed a personal flotation device on each family member—in order, the 2-year-old, 6-year-old, mother, relative—and one at a time attached a victim to themselves, pushed off the truck toward the bank while the water flow carried them right into the arms of a waiting swiftwater technician who retrieved both rescuer and victim. Each victim was passed to AMR for patient assessment and care.

Unit Citations Honorable Mentions

Baltimore City Fire Department

Rescue Company 1

Chicago Fire Department

Engine 101, Truck 41, Engine 15, Truck 59, Squad 5, Ambulance 18, Ambulance 27

Chicago Fire Department

Ambulance 66, Engine 1, Aerial Tower 1, Squad 1, Battalion 515

Christiana Fire Company – Newark, DE

Engine 12, Squad 6, Ladder 12, Deputy Chief 6

District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department

Truck 7, Rescue Squad 3, Medic 25

District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department

Engine 19, Engine 32, Truck 16, Rescue Squad 3, Ambulance 19, Medic 19, Battalion 3, Medic 8

Galveston, TX, Fire Department

Engine 5 – B shift

Golden, CO, Fire Department

Engine 21, Engine 25, Rescue 10, Medic 10, Engine 32

Gwinnett County, GA, Fire & Emergency Services

Engine 51, Squad 51, EMS Officer, Med 8

Houston Fire Department

Engine 47

Houston Fire Department

Station 49

Lackawanna, NY, Fire Department

Engine 1, Engine 3, Ladder 6 – D Platoon

Langley Air Force Base

Engine Co. 6

Memphis, TN, Fire Department

Engine 20, Rescue 2 – A shift

Millville, NJ, Fire Department

Engine 34