March 14--WEST HAVEN -- During a week in which the city and its firefighters are mourning three people who couldn't escape an early-morning condo fire, it was lost on no one in the packed second floor of the Dawson Avenue Firehouse just how different things might have turned out for Avalon Machnicz' family.
But instead of funerals for Avalon, 14, and her eight family members, the West Shore Fire District held an awards ceremony Thursday night at which they honored Avalon with a "Civilian Medal of Honor" for waking her entire family up and getting them out.
West Shore Fire Department Lt. Joseph Chiaramonte and Firefighter Collin McBurney, who ran up into the burning house and pulled out Avalon's grandmother, Katharine Priore, were honored with with Medals of Valor. The ceremoney also recognized 23 other West Shore and West Haven firefighters who were involved fighting the fire.
The ceremony, previously planned as part of the annual monthly meeting of the West Shore Board of Fire Commissioners, was an ironic juxtaposition with Tuesday's deadly early-morning fire at the Mallard Brook Crossing condomium complex on Coleman Street.
On Coleman Street, three members of another family -- Michael Paone, 75, Lori Paone, 61, and Michele Paone, 27 -- all died in an early-morning fire. Several neighbors have said they heard no smoke alarms, although it's still being investigated by the West Haven Fire Department.
Avalon's family is convinced that had it not been for Avalon -- and the smoke detector she heard go off just after 5 a.m. on Feb. 20 -- they wouldn't have been around to celebrate anything.
But the smoke detector on the first floor of Avalon's family's 40 Wilson Ave. home did go off -- and Avalon, a high school student who was just falling asleep, heard it.
"Smoke detectors do save lives," said West Shore FIre Chief Patrick Pickering, who added the city's three fire departments are about to use a $134,000 federal grant to install smoke alarms in homes across the city in an effort to save lives.
"I'd just started to close my eyes and I heard the beeping," said Avalon. At first, "I thought it was the house phone."
Then she smelled smoke -- and when she poked her head out of the room she was sleeping in with two visiting cousins, she saw smoke coming from the laundry room next door.
After telling her cousins, Ashley and Hayley Lanzano to get out, she quickly ran upstairs to wake her mother, Cheri Machnicz, her stepfather, Paul Lipford, her stepsister, Ashley Lipford and her grandparents, Katharine and Mario Priore.
"It got smoky really quick," she said.
When all was said and done -- and ultimately with the help of Chiaramonte and McBurney, who went in without hoses to carry her grandmother out -- Avalon's actions saved all nine family members, plus nine pets: two dogs, six cats and one 26-year-old parrot.
Avalon's mother, Cheri, said she was proud of her daughter -- who helped her put the smoke detectors up last October.
The house was destroyed, but the family lived. Had Avalon not heard the alarm, "it would have been a very different outcome," she said.
"It's outstanding," said Avalon's stepfather of what she did. "There's no telling what would have happened if she hadn't," he said.
"Avalon, you are receiving the 'Civilian Medal of Honor' tonight to recognize your bravery at the risk of your own safety and life for waking up your faily when you heard the smoke alarm and realized that the house was on fire," Pickering told her.
"On behalf of the West Shore Fire District, I would like to thank you for being such a brave young adult," he said.
She also was feted by City Councilwoman Tracey Morrissey, D-8, who represented Mayor Ed O'Brien.
Others honored for their work and bravery that night were West Haven Fire Chief Jim O'Brien, West Shore Deputy Chief Steve Scafariello, West Haven Deputy Chief Scott Schwartz, West Haven Fire Marshall Keith Flood, captains Peter Lynch and Bill Stacy, lieutenants Seth Roberts and Jeffry Testut and firefighter/paramedics Mike Vitale, Brian Schwenk, Mike Alfano and Jacob Urban..
Also honored were firefighters Just Hyndman, Wesley Nelson, Vincent Rapuano, Gerald Barosy, Anthony Mancini, Roy Sebas, Joe Giaquinto, Eric Sobolewski, Mark Riordan and John Perry, and Assistant Building Official Lloyd Adams.
Copyright 2014 - New Haven Register, Conn.
