When Engine 18 was dispatched for a person trapped in a submerged car, his first thought was that it would be a recovery mission.
New Orleans Capt. Joseph Fincher is not trained as a rescue diver, but on Thursday, May 8, 2008, that's exactly what he did.
Donning only his fatigues, Fincher saved a 49-year-old cab driver from his submerged vehicle in a lagoon. For his efforts, he has been awarded one of the top honors in Firehouse Magazine's annual Heroism Awards.
When he was dispatched on Engine 18 along with firefighters Jerry Magee and Adam Woodruff and Operator Tim Hughes for a person trapped in a submerged car, his first thought was that it would be a recovery mission.
"You have to go in with the attitude that it's not a recovery mission, that you have the opportunity to make a difference," Fincher said. "But in all honesty, I thought it was going to be a recovery. I was thrilled to death the guy made it."
"I said prayer on the way. I do that just about every time; you never know what's going to happen."
He was wearing his fatigues but chose not to wear his turnouts because of the nature of the call and said he even took out his wallet and cell phone out just in case he was going to get wet.
"You get the whole spectrum of calls here. Being New Orleans; you have to be ready to go into the water.
"Over the years we've had several calls where there is a car in the water," he said, noting that many times it turned out being someone setting the car on fire and dumping it for the insurance money.
Fincher said his crew was initially sent to the wrong location but arrived at the lagoon just after the chief and were able to see the top of the cab peaking over the surface of the lagoon.
As soon as they arrived, Fincher jumped in. He said he it felt like he was going 100 mph, but remembered sound advice he received earlier in life in a different type of training. While working towards his lifeguard certification as a young teen, he remembered his instructor saying: "Don't go too fast, because if you do, you and your victim will both go under."
He slowed his pace and when he approached the vehicle he went underwater and attempted to open the driver-side door without luck. He said that first time he was under water for close to 15 seconds.
When Magee and Woodruff didn't hear any response from the man in the cab, they rushed to get an ax and rope, but after a second attempt, the man floated out.
Fincher says he believes the man -- in a semi-conscious state -- must have taken his seat belt off and unlocked the door after hearing him knocking on his window.
The man's eyes rolled as he was coming up, and that's when Fincher said knew he was going to be OK.
Following the incident, the cab driver stopped by fire station to thank his rescuers.
"He was very gracious -- not that you expect that from a victim -- but it was very gratifying," Fincher said.
When asked about his reaction to the media attention he's received for the save, he said, "It's humbling really. Any guy on the fire department would have done the same thing I did.
"The highest calling you can have is to be a servant, most of the guys on the department; that's their attitude."
While answering the question, he spent a lot of his time praising the members of his crew. "They did an outstanding job," he said. "If you know you have a competent crew, it's one less thing you need to worry about."
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