We are pleased to announce the newest honorees in our 2013 Firehouse® Magazine Heroism Awards program and take pride in highlighting the bravery of these outstanding individuals.
We recognize the judges: Chief Edward "Loy" Senter Jr. of Chesterfield, VA, Fire & EMS; Chief Charles Hood of the San Antonio, TX, Fire Department; and Deputy Chief William Goldfeder of the Loveland-Symmes, OH, Fire Department. We also thank retired FDNY Rescue 1 Firefighter Paul Hashagen, who administers the program.
For this year’s program, we teamed the firefighters together who worked at the same incident. The judges scored each individual firefighter separately. The scores (circled numbers) reflect those the judges picked from the highest degree of difficulty in descending order, in their judgment.
Lieutenant Greg Pickard
Firefighter Ricky Mantey
Firefighter Mitch Moran
Bryan, TX, FD, Rapid Intervention Team
On February 15, 2013, the Bryan Fire Department responded to a fire in a Knights of Columbus hall. An electrical fire spread to the structure. The fire was fought offensively. After 13 minutes, a lieutenant and firefighter on the first line began to exit the building due to a depleted air supply. The two became separated due to heavy smoke and debris falling on the hose.
The lieutenant notified incident command that he was low on air. The Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) of Engine 5 was directed into the structure. Fire conditions changed rapidly. The roof on two sides started to fail on both sides. The fire broke through violently. The RIT (without a hoseline) found the lieutenant within two minutes about 40-50 feet inside the bingo area under heavy fire conditions. They were moving high towards the exit when a flashover occurred. The officer of Engine 2 who was operating in an adjacent area witnessed the RIT crew with the lieutenant in the room fully involved with fire. Even with their protective equipment burning, the crew never relented in their efforts to continue to drag the lieutenant out of the building. Within 10 feet of the exit, the crew collapsed from their burn injuries. They were removed by other firefighters. All the members of Engine 5, as well as the lieutenant they were removing, were severely burned during the flashover. All four were transported to a trauma center. The Engine 5 lieutenant succumbed to his injuries. The other three were airlifted to a burn center in Galveston. The first-due engine lieutenant succumbed later that day. The other two firefighters remained in the burn center for three months undergoing numerous surgeries, treatments and therapy.
After coming home, they still faced many months of ongoing care.
When the rescue situation developed the members of Engine 5 knew the personal risk they were taking in entering the structure, but none of them were willing to leave one of their own behind. Each of the men exhibited extreme heroism through their selfless actions during this rescue effort of the lieutenant, which ultimately took the lives of both lieutenants.
Lieutenant Robert E. Lee
FDNY, Battalion 16 covering in Ladder 47
On October 28, 2013, at 4:13 A.M., Ladder 47 responded as the second-due ladder company to a reported fire in a private dwelling. While en route, dispatchers reported up to six people trapped on the first floor. Smoke was visible from all floors of a 2½-story flat roof private dwelling. Two civilians were visible on a second-floor balcony. Prior to the arrival of Ladder 47, two children were dropped to civilians below. Heavy fire was venting from the rear basement windows. Lieutenant Lee and two firefighters entered the first floor. They were met with hot acrid smoke from an open basement stairwell and zero visibility. The two firefighters were ordered to search to the front and Lee searched to the rear. Forced to the floor due to the intense heat and without a charged hoseline, Lee searched through a kitchen and a hallway until he found a closed bedroom door directly over the main fire area. Squeezing through the partially opened door, he located a victim. Under high heat and zero visibility he dragged the victim down the hallway to the front of the building and out to the sidewalk. Although exhausted, Lee knew there were probably more victims trapped. He reentered the building meeting one firefighter with a victim. Lee retraced his route to the rear bedroom and then met the Rescue 3 officer with another victim. Lee reentered the bedroom knowing conditions were not getting any better. He located a bed and, sweeping underneath with his hand, he located another victim. Lee dragged the victim from under the bed and through the narrow doorway, down the hallway to the street. Due to Lee’s actions on the floor above, both victims are alive today.
Firefighter Vincent A. Musacchio
FDNY, Ladder 32
On May 31, 2013, Ladder 32 responded first-due to a phone alarm reporting a structural fire. Heavy smoke was venting from all three floors of the fire building. Firefighter Musacchio noted heavy smoke also pushing from the rear. He grabbed a 24-foot ladder and his tools and made his way to the rear of the fire building. One man was yelling that his father was trapped and another was badly burned. Without protection of a handline, the inside team was forced from the fire apartment. Musacchio, hearing the report, entered the fire apartment from the rear door and searched the living room. He was forced out by high heat. He grabbed a garden hose and directed one of the men to operate the garden hose into the rear of the fire building. Musacchio entered again to search the rear bedroom. He searched along the left wall but was forced out again due the high heat and fire conditions. He reentered a third time and searched along the right side of the bedroom. At this point the air in his self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) was hot and he was getting burned but he pushed on. As he swept the floor around the bed he found the victim face down between the dresser and the bed. He removed the victim to the rear yard. Musacchio was not deterred by the heavy body of fire and high heat and entered the fire apartment three separate times without the protection of a hoseline to carry out his duties.
Captain Robert F. Reinhardt
FDNY Ladder 152
On April 1, 2013, Ladder 152 responded to an early-morning phone alarm for a fire in a private dwelling. Enroute, the Queens dispatcher notified units there was a report of 10 people trapped on the second floor. Upon arrival, fire was venting from one second-floor window of a 2½-story peaked roof private dwelling and heavy smoke was venting out other windows. Civilians in the street were yelling people were trapped on two sides of the building. Firefighter Reinhardt could see people leaning out of windows. A woman met Reinhardt and in full panic stated “my children are up there.” Reinhardt ordered his outside team to get portable ladders to remove those in the windows. The inside team was met with heavy smoke at the base of the stairs. At the top of the stairs, fire was venting from the kitchen. Reinhardt ordered his inside team to vent the front windows and start a search. Knowing there was no hoseline in place, he decided to get as low as he could go and crawled on his stomach past the kitchen. After searching one bedroom, he searched another and found an unconscious victim. Reinhardt decided to take his victim down through the interior stairs. After getting assistance removing the victim to the exterior, he returned to continue his primary search. At this incident, ten people were located. Eight people were taken from the second floor; two through the interior and six via portable ladder.
Firefighter Jonathan L. Dixon
St. George Fire Protection District No. 2
Baton Rouge, LA
On January 2, 2013, after completing a 24-hour shift, Firefighter Dixon came upon what looked like a smoking truck on the side of the road. He walked around the 18-wheeler to find a passenger sedan wedged beneath the trailer of the truck. The car’s engine compartment was involved in fire and the car was filled with dense black smoke. Dixon asked if anyone remained in the car and bystanders told him they hadn’t seen anyone exit the vehicle. He approached the car’s rear passenger-side window and attempted to break it with his boot. An off-duty Baton Rouge police officer had a fire extinguisher in his unit. Dixon broke the rear window and entered without protective or breathing gear to evaluate the condition of the car’s driver. As he checked for a pulse, the driver turned her head in a semi-conscious state. Dixon exited the vehicle for a breath of fresh air, placed his jacket on the victim to shield her from flames that were now beginning to break through the firewall. With assistance from the police officer and a Louisiana State Trooper who arrived on the scene, the patient was removed from the car. A witness said the car erupted into a fireball within 30 seconds of the rescue. Dixon used his skills as a firefighter and EMT-B that resulted in saving a life that would have been lost.
Firefighter Harry Pfeiffer
FDNY, Ladder 146
On March 3, 2013, at 9:19 A.M., Ladder 146 responded to a fire in a commercial building. Upon arrival, crew found heavy black smoke out of the doorway at an auto body shop. A civilian told the officer of Ladder 146 that a co-worker was trapped inside. The officer and inside team entered the building under zero visibility and increasing temperatures due to limited ventilation. A search rope and thermal imaging camera were used to locate the fire and search for the victim. As Engine 229 attacked the fire in the front, several burning cars and burning fuel blocked access to the rear of the structure. Heavy fire now extended to the mezzanine. There was no access to the rear from the exterior. The fire was blocking the only means of escape for anyone trapped in the rear. One car was on fire on top of a car lift and another car on the ground. The only viable path to the rear was to crawl under a burning elevated car with questionable stability due to the heavy fire. After a few minutes of searching, Firefighter Pfeiffer located the victim towards the back of the building past the burning cars. With the assistance of another firefighter, they dragged the victim under the burning car and to safety outside. If it had not been for the heroic efforts of Firefighter Pfeiffer, the victim surely would have succumbed to his injuries.
Captain Joseph McKiernan
FDNY, Ladder 46
On February 9, 2013, Ladder 46 responded first-due to a reported fire in a multiple dwelling. Dispatchers reported receiving numerous calls reporting a working fire. Units responding also were notified of a mentally challenged person trapped in the first-floor apartment. Upon arrival, fire was venting out two windows of the first-floor apartment and heavy smoke from additional windows. It was later determined that the cause of the heavy fire on arrival was directly attributed to the premature, unwarranted venting of all the windows in the fire apartment; civilians, in an attempt to rescue the victim, were responsible for venting the windows. Captain McKiernan had his chauffeur and outside vent man assist numerous civilians exposed to heavy fire and smoke on the fire escape. At the apartment door, smoke was pushing out from the locked door. He ordered his inside team to force the door.
Once opened, they were met with heavy black smoke, intense heat and fire rolling out of the apartment over their heads. McKiernan, knowing that someone was trapped, without a hoseline and in disregard for his safety, he crawled under venting smoke and fire deeper into the apartment in zero visibility. The can man was unable to control the fire. While crawling blindly and feeling with his hands, McKiernan found the unconscious body lying prone on the floor in a hallway. The victim’s clothes were on fire. McKiernan turned him over and smothered the fire. He dragged the victim out of the fire apartment under severe fire conditions. There is no doubt the victim is alive today due to the quick and unselfish actions of Captain McKiernan. n February 9, 2013, Ladder 46 responded first-due to a reported fire in a multiple dwelling. Dispatchers reported receiving numerous calls reporting a working fire. Units responding also were notified of a mentally challenged person trapped in the first-floor apartment. Upon arrival, fire was venting out two windows of the first-floor apartment and heavy smoke from additional windows. It was later determined that the cause of the heavy fire on arrival was directly attributed to the premature, unwarranted venting of all the windows in the fire apartment; civilians, in an attempt to rescue the victim, were responsible for venting the windows. Captain McKiernan had his chauffeur and outside vent man assist numerous civilians exposed to heavy fire and smoke on the fire escape. At the apartment door, smoke was pushing out from the locked door. He ordered his inside team to force the door.
Firefighter Eugene Squires
FDNY, Ladder 13
On November 27, 2012, Ladder 13 was dispatched for a report of smoke on the fifth floor. The Manhattan dispatcher notified responding units they were receiving numerous calls for a fire in the fifth-floor apartment. Smoke could be seen from two closed windows on the fifth floor. The outside vent man reported thick, black smoke pushing from the rear. The roof man reported heavy smoke on two sides of the building. The interior team encountered multiple locks on the fire apartment door. After they opened the door, there was a security chain in place indicating someone was still inside; the door could only be opened a few inches. Conditions in the hallway started to deteriorate. The battalion chief could see a woman in a window from the street. The tower ladder and aerial ladder could not reach the woman’s position. The roof and outside vent started to set up for a lifesaving rope rescue. The inside team knew they had to make a determined push to reach the woman. Once inside the apartment, Firefighter Squires could hear the woman’s screams. He pushed farther in to the apartment climbing over obstructions that he knew would impede his progress. Fighting through thick, black smoke and heat, he located the woman as she was prepared to jump. He grabbed her around the torso and pulled her back into the bedroom. He dragged her through the cluttered bedroom to the kitchen area where he was assisted by the inside team. After removing her through the narrow hallway with obstructions, requiring Engine 22 to back out to the stairs, they went back to search for more victims. However, conditions inside the apartment had deteriorated so significantly that the inside team was unable to re-enter. The courageous actions of Firefighter Squires effectively saved a life.
Lieutenant Jonathan Shields
FDNY, Ladder 7
On April 3, 2013, Ladder 7 responded first due to a report of a smoke condition in a five-story building. Upon Ladder 7’s arrival, fleeing occupants told Lieutenant Shields there was a smoke condition on the top floor and the occupant was a hoarder. Shields encountered an extremely hot door, paint blistering in the hallway and a smoke condition. Shields ordered his inside team to force the apartment door. Heavy fire was pushing from around the door and the narrow hallway was filling with high heat and dense smoke. As they opened the door, they found furniture and a bicycle blocking the way. Once there was room to squeeze through, Shields ordered a firefighter to make the back bedroom. Another firefighter was directed to use the water fire extinguisher to hold back flames. Shields searched past the bathroom, hallway and kitchen that were engulfed in fire. He came across the lifeless body of an occupant. His clothes were on fire. Due to the extreme heat, Shields was forced to crawl while dragging the victim as he retraced his path back to the apartment entrance. Fire was rolling along the ceiling when he passed the victim to others in the hallway.
$100 Awards
Rickie Atkins
Fairfax County, VA,
Fire & Rescue
While off-duty at a party, Atkins was called to the backyard where a little girl was being pulled from the pool. He directed someone to call 911 and quickly assessed that the girl was not breathing and had no pulse. He immediately began chest compressions while another bystander did rescue breathing. The girl coughed up water and began to breathe on her own. She regained consciousness and was taken to the hospital via ambulance. A full recovery was expected.
Thomas Barnes
Fairfax County, VA,
Fire & Rescue
While on a training mission testing new swiftwater equipment, Barnes noticed a man in the water, without a floatation device, and struggling to keep his head above water. After a rescue rope failed, the boat got close enough for Barnes to pull the man to safety.
Andrew Breen
Prince George’s County, MD,
Fire/EMS
Upon arrival at a townhouse fire, Breen noticed a distressed man at a third-floor window. He immediately assisted in placing a 24-foot ladder and bringing the victim to safety.
Jason Brown
Prince George’s County, MD,
Fire/EMS
While off-duty, Brown came upon an MVA with one car on fire with a victim trapped inside and no units at the scene. He immediately grabbed an extinguisher from his car and, with no PPE, put the fire down and assisted the victim through the window to escape the car.
Stephen Burns
Wichita, KS, FD
Assigned to the search and rescue team at an intense house fire, Burns didn’t realize he would be rescuing his own team. As conditions worsened and a member’s air supply was running low, the orders to evacuate came. Unable to find an exit, a mayday was called. Burns, remembering that he saw a bay window upon entry, led his team in the right direction, found the window, broke it open and jumped to safety. The rest of the crew quickly followed his lead.
Matthew Cardoso
Prince George’s County, MD,
Fire/EMS
Upon arrival at a townhouse fire, Cardoso was alerted to a distressed man at a third-floor window. Without PPE or a hoseline, he immediately ascended a 24-foot ladder, broke out the window and helped the victim escape the high heat and heavy smoke conditions.
Antonio Cole
Prince George’s County, MD,
Fire/EMS
While on his way home after a shift, Cole came across a car fire with an unconscious woman trapped inside. Without PPE, he broke the car window and entered the vehicle. Despite severely cutting his hand, Cole pulled the woman from the vehicle. Despite his heroics, the woman succumbed to her injuries later that day.
David Gruendel
Fairfax County, VA, Fire & Rescue
While off-duty, Gruendel came upon an MVA involving a car and a motorcycle, with both vehicles on fire. He found a victim lying face down in the street with no pulse. He rolled the victim over and realized it was a Prince William County Motor Police Officer. Gruendel immediately began CPR and continued until assistance arrived.
Bryan Iannacone
Riverton, NJ, FD
Upon arrival, Iannacone was advised that two people were inside the burning 2½-story wood-frame fire building. He raced up the stairs, past the fire and located a woman and an unconscious male. Iannacone told the woman to self evacuate and then dragged the male down the stairs to safety.
Ryan Jordan
Grand Junction, CO, FD
Responding to call of a man falling through the ice on the Colorado River in 15-degree temperatures, Jordan entered the water with a river board and a life jacket with a tag line attached. The tag line got snagged on the ice, so Jordan disconnected it and swam out on his own. He gave the victim the board and then pulled him to safety.
Donald Moorhead
Newark, DE, FD
Upon arrival at a multi-story fire, Moorhead was advised of an occupant trapped on the third floor. He entered the building ahead of the attack line, ascended the stairs and began to search the apartment on hands and knees. He discovered a body in the bedroom and dragged it to the stairs where, with assistance, he carried the victim out of the structure. The victim was placed on a stretcher and received BLS and ALS treatments.
Brian Pelletier
Fair Oaks, VA, Fire & Rescue
Pelletier was called to help treat the victims of the Washington Navy Yard shootings. He quickly gathered the minimal first-aid supplies necessary and under cover of law enforcement officers made his way to the scene. He began rapid trauma assessment and provided BLS measures. With the possibility of an active shooter still on scene, and without cover, Pelletier evacuated the most seriously injured victim to a nearby EMS transport unit.
Scott Primrose
Fairfax County, VA, Fire & Rescue
While off-duty, Primrose witnessed a lifeguard pulling a limp child from a pool at a summer camp. He immediately assisted in the removal and assessed the victim. Finding no pulse, Primrose gave several rescue breaths. He stayed with the patient until an ambulance arrived. A full recovery was expected.
Marc Straubinger
Fairfax County, VA, Fire & Rescue
While off-duty, Straubinger came upon an MVA involving a car and a motorcycle, with both vehicles on fire. He immediately called 911 and went to check the burning vehicle for victims. He then switched off with another off-duty member in providing CPR to a Prince William County Motor Police Officer who was found face down, without a pulse, at the scene.
Antonio Trammell
Fairfax County, VA, Fire & Rescue
While off-duty, Trammell came upon an MVA. He noticed fire in the engine compartment and the driver still in the car. Realizing the driver was unconscious and the car was filling with smoke, Trammell broke the passenger side window with a rock and pulled the driver to safety. Shortly thereafter, the car was engulfed in flames.
Michael Vaughn
Washington, IL, FD
Vaughn witnessed an EF4 tornado drop from the sky and head toward the local church, which was full of people. He raced in that direction to send out a warning, and ended up having to outrace the tornado, which was making his truck sway back and forth.
Unit Citations
Unit Citations are chosen by Firehouse® to exemplify a company’s teamwork, dedication, poise and control under pressure and expertise in their field. The fire service strives to coordinate the scenes where we perform each day and this year’s honorees highlight that collaboration.
San Antonio, TX, Fire Department
Technical Rescue Team,
Fire Station 11
Lieutenant Jesse Guerra
Engineer John Pollard
Engineer Mario Nerio
Engineer Bill Davidson
Firefighter Rick Denson
Firefighter Brian Deschenes
While returning from a water rescue call, Engine 11 witnessed an SUV drive into a creek during an intense rainstorm with raging flood waters. Facing rapid current and low visibility, and hampered by trees and branches, the boat crew accessed the SUV by jumping on its roof, breaking the back window and locating the elderly driver. Their own lives were put in danger when the center of gravity altered and trapped Denson, flung Nerio into the water and rolled the car over on the boat. Davidson and the boat were submerged. The team worked to rescue each other, but unfortunately could not save the driver.
Tuscaloosa, AL,
Fire & Rescue Service
Engine 9
Lieutenant Greg Medders
Firefighter Kory Evans
Firefighter Ryan Crutchfield
Firefighter Daniel Tate
Firefighter Nathan Moore
Firefighter Corey Houston
Firefighter Shaun Lee
When crew arrived on scene at a blaze in a second-floor apartment, the door was locked and there was no response. They forced entry and found one victim; the dwelling was filled with heavy smoke and the fire, which had almost smothered itself from lack of oxygen, now presented danger of backdraft. They removed the victim to the ground level and provided prompt medical care. She later made a full recovery. Other crew members remained in the apartment with the charged line and suppressed the fire.
Fairfax Co., VA, Fire & Rescue
Engine 413
Fire broke out in a liquefied propane gas refilling and storage yard with multiple 20-, 100- and 420-pound cylinders and four 1,000-gallon tanks all stored in the area; two of the 20-pound cylinders had exploded. This is a densely populated industrial area including a busy Home Depot located 300 feet from the incident. Upon arrival, the captain of Engine 413 determined attacking the fire seemed the best option and positioned within 100 feet of the blaze. Rescue 401 and Tower Ladder 430 operated. Due to configuration, hoselines were positioned and repositioned to cool the tanks, placing personnel within 40 feet of the fire and exploding tanks. After the hoselines were in place, no more explosions occurred from the cylinders and damage was limited to the area.
Gulfport, MS, FD
Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) –
Engine Co. 3
Lieutenant/EMT Jordan Edwards
Firefighter/EMT Jeff McKenzie
Firefighter/EMT Heath Sidaway
Dispatched to a motor vehicle collision on the interstate involving an extrication with a victim trapped for nearly one hour, the crew attempted hydraulic cutters but to no avail. They decided to use the air chisel and, with the patient deteriorating, were able to flap the roof open and remove victim to safety.
Prince George’s County, MD,
Fire/EMS
Morningside Fire/EMS,
Station 827
Patrick Wise
Michael Williams
Michael Mavaddat
Mark Shane
Ryan Kelly
Joey Goldberg
Michael Olszewski
Patrick Canino
Brandyn Howell
Ronnie Martin
Stephen Truesdell
The crew was leaving one structure fire when dispatched a short distance to another. Nothing was showing on arrival at the three-story, garden-style apartment building. They stretched a line and entered the building, where residents advised the fire was in #203. The crew forced entry, located a victim two feet inside doorway, removed the victim, extinguished the fire and evacuated the building.
Wichita, KS, Fire Department
Quint 15
Fire Captain Boyd Lauber
Firefighter Christopher DeLeon
Firefighter Tim Robinson
On a call for a two-year-old boy who had fallen in a creek while on a nature walk with his grandfather, the crew was handed the body of the lifeless boy. After mouth to mouth, three cycles of CPR and repeated clearing of his airway from dirt and grimy water, the boy regained a pulse.
Firehouse Staff
Content written and created by Firehouse Magazine editors.
