Firefighter rescues best friend

[N2DFire]

Firefighter rescues best friend
by Scott Leamon
WSLS NewsChannel 10
Monday, March 13, 2006


If you ever want to hear someone describe the worst sound in the world, Hillsville volunteer firefighter Scottie Turman believes he could do it.

Turman pulled his fellow firefighter, and best friend, Chris Hawks out of a burning Carroll County home Monday morning.

Hawks sustained second degree burns to almost 20 percent of his body. Turman said his friends arms and legs were the worst.

That worst sound in the world Turman may never forget, the sound of Hawks screaming after a wall of flames trapped him inside the home.

"I saw a flash coming," Turman said from the Hillsville firehouse late Monday morning, "and started screaming at [the other firefighters] to come out."

A flash is what firefighters call it when a door, or window is opened, and the fire gets fresh air, causing the flames to grow.

In this case, Hawks was the first firefighter through the home's front door. The flash then trapped him inside.

Turman said none of the firefighters had water yet in their hoses, leaving a potentially fatal time lapse between when Hawks became trapped, and when they had water to knock the flames down and go inside to get him.

"I decided I was going in with or without water," Turman said. "I was going to pull him out."

Turman said luckily firefighters were able to get water to their hoses, but it still took him what seemed like "an hour" to find Hawks, who was laying on the floor.

Hawks was transferred from a local hospital to a burn unit at Baptist hospital in Winston-Salem, according to a department spokesman.

Turman was not injured.

The fire is under investigation by the Virginia State Police, but Carroll County Emergency Services Director Joe Roma said the preliminary cause is accidental.

Hawks narrowly escaped serious injury fighting a field fire near the Slyvatus community in Carroll County March 2nd, when high winds caused the fire to get out of control, surrounding Hawks at his position.

Hawks was forced to run through the flames.

A spark entered his left eye, swelling it shut for a few hours after the fire. He also sustained minor burns to his face.

Hawks said his eyesight returned to normal the next day.



Link to story here

[WaterbryVTfire]

No hose line protection?
No SCBA?

Thankfully, neither was seriously injured!

[MalahatTwo7]

Not meaning to make light of this or make a funny, but does Mr Hawks think he's a cat? This would make two lives that he's used up now. Just glad to hear that he was not critically injured.

Best wishes on a speedy recovery.

[RES81CUE]

Not being there, I cant figure out why your in a house without a hoseline and SCBA. I know we are trained to rescue but I still say you have to have a hoseline. Just the way I feel about it....

[baileydonk]

Excuse me, but where in that story does it say that the man was not wearing an SCBA? Two people here have complained about this, but I don't see it.

[WaterbryVTfire]

Excuse me, but where in that story does it say that the man was not wearing an SCBA? Two people here have complained about this, but I don't see it.

Okay the eye issue was at an earlier grass fire.....

Hawks was forced to run through the flames.

A spark entered his left eye, swelling it shut for a few hours after the fire. He also sustained minor burns to his face.

Hawks said his eyesight returned to normal the next day.

Maybe it happen after, but the fact the story states they entered with no hose line leads me to believe thay may have been lacking some other portions of thier PPE (I know its only an assumption

[baileydonk]

Edited - (okay, must be 10 characters)

[MalahatTwo7]

The reference to the eye injury was sustained during wildfire ops. Not the structure fire.

[WaterbryVTfire]

Yeah I saw that... Got a little a head of myself.

But the whole lack of a hoseline still makes me wonder......

[MalahatTwo7]

I think that part has a lot of us "Up In Arms".