2014 Heroism Awards $100 Winners

Luke Barr: Salem, OR, Fire Department

While on his way home from a partial shift, Firefighter/Paramedic Barr came across a structure fire. Barr entered the structure, which was charged with smoke and fire, and rescued the first of two residents. He made repeated attempts to rescue the second resident, but the smoke and fire conditions worsened to the point where Barr had to abandon his efforts.

Mitchell Bartecki & Brian Byrnes: Chicago Fire Department

Ambulance 8 was dispatched to a report of a working fire in a two-story residential structure. First-arrived units found the structure heavily charged with thick smoke and visible fire. Ambulance Commander Bartecki and Fire Paramedic Byrnes entered the building and evacuated approximately 14-18 residents.

Luis Bernal & Luis Gonzalez: Houston Fire Department

Ladder 18 responded to a fire in a five-story building. While putting a ladder to the roof, the crew—Captain Brad Hawthorne, Firefighters Luis Bernal and Luis Gonzalez and Engineer Operator Dwayne Wyble—spotted someone on a fifth-floor balcony. Wyble moved the ladder to the victim with the other three crewmembers still on the ladder. The captain helped the construction worker onto the ladder.

Stacey Boulware & Kim Taylor: Cobb County, GA, Fire and Emergency Services

Engine 22 responded to a commercial building fire. Engineer Taylor and Firefighter Boulware were advised that there was a person trapped in an apartment on the third floor. They conducted a search and ultimately found a closed bedroom door behind which the occupant was hanging out of the window. Taylor and Boulware led the occupant to safety.

Patrick Burns: Chicago Fire Department

CFD responded to a structure fire on the South Side of Chicago. A male occupant was trying to escape through a window, so Firefighter Burns used a garbage can as a step to enter the smoke-filled apartment and assist the occupant out the window. The occupant stated that his mother was still inside. Burns continued to search, located the mother and helped transfer her out the window to awaiting fire personnel.

Donald Champ: St. Louis Fire Department

Several units were dispatched to a fire in a three-story home. The owner notified crews that his son was trapped inside. While searching the first floor, Firefighter Champ of Truck 17 found the unconscious victim. The victim was transported to the hospital in serious condition. A week later, fire crews learned that the victim was out of a coma and would make a full recovery.

Kathryn L. Cox, John D. Thomas, Grady Jacks, Jr., Paul A. Prugar, Bradley L. Tusa & James M. Emery: Baltimore City Fire Department

Engine Company 56 responded to a fire in a two-story row-home with two occupants trapped on the second floor. Lieutenant Thomas from Engine 56 found an occupant on the second floor and, with the help of Acting Lieutenant Jacks and Emergency Vehicle Driver Tusa from Truck 30 on an outside ladder, assisted the civilian out of the building. Emergency Vehicle Driver Prugar from Truck 30 and Lieutenant Cox from Engine 42 laddered the second floor on a different side of the building to assist a woman out of the building. Simultaneously, Firefighter/Paramedic Emery from Truck 30 found a third civilian on the second floor.

Bermann Francois: Cobb County, GA, Fire and Emergency Services

While off duty at his residence, Firefighter Francois was alerted that his neighbor had just drowned at the subdivision pool. Francois ran to the pool where he found a bystander attempting CPR on a 2-year-old child. Francois took over CPR and was able to palpate a pulse. The child regained some respiratory function, and had agonal respirations at four per minute. Francois continued to rescue-breathe for the child until fire and EMS arrived on scene. The child made a full recovery.

Thomas Garswick and Jason Lach: Chicago Fire Department

Squad 5 was dispatched to a fire in a 2½- story dwelling with heavy smoke throughout. Firefighters Garswick and Lach were directed to conduct a search. In order to enter the structure, they had to remove debris and conduct forcible entry on two doors that were obstructed by clutter. Once inside, the firefighters located an unconscious male victim and removed him from the structure. The man survived.

Thomas Gaska: St. Louis Fire Department

On May 5, 2014, crews responded to a fire in a one-story frame residence with heavy fire and smoke showing. The initial fire attack controlled the scene and allowed firefighters the opportunity to conduct a primary search that resulted in Firefighter Gaska locating an unconscious civilian victim. Firefighter Cheatham and Captain Koch helped remove the victim from the house. The victim was treated and transported to a local hospital.

John Gricus: Chicago Fire Department

Lieutenant Gricus was off duty and travelling with his wife when he came upon a fire in a residential structure with heavy smoke showing. Gricus entered the dwelling and called out to see if anyone was inside. After hearing a faint response, he searched and found an adult male. Gricus pulled the man to safety and provided first aid. The man survived.

Michael J. Heiler: Baltimore City Fire Department

A box alarm was dispatched for a reported dwelling fire in West Baltimore. Lieutenant Heiler from Truck 18 entered the dwelling and began searching for occupants. Heiler crawled down a hallway and located a victim. He removed the victim and went back in to search again. Heiler found a second victim, whom he also removed. Both occupants survived.

Samuel Hittle and Ryan Evans: Wichita, KS, Fire Department

Engine 10 and Squad 5 responded to a call of a fire in a single-story dwelling. One occupant had self-evacuated and notified firefighters that an adult female was still in the structure. Engine 10 began extinguishment efforts while Lt. Hittle and Firefighter Evans from Squad 5 began the search. Evans discovered the victim in the bathroom, and Hittle and Evans were able to transport her outside where medical care was rendered. The victim survived.

Mark S. Hofmann, John R., Morris, IV, Daniel C. Thompson, Jeffrey S. Mengel & EMT/Firefighter Nicholas B. Stefany: Baltimore City Fire Department

A call was dispatched for smoke in the area of Harbor East Marina. Fire Boat 1 arrived to find two boats ablaze. Lieutenant Thompson and Firefighter Mengel boarded the vessel and began a search with the assistance of EMT/Firefighter Stefany. Members of Engine 23 arrived and saw a woman screaming from a small porthole. Acting Lieutenant Hofmann and EMT/Firefighter Morris were able to place a facepiece on the woman. Thompson and Stefany located the woman in the lavatory. A hoseline was passed to Mengel while Thompson and Stefany removed the woman to the top deck. She was transported to a burn center and survived.

Kurt Howard: Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department

Several units from the Fort Worth Fire Department were dispatched to a fire in a mobile home. Engineer Jason Bryant and Firefighter Kurt Howard of Engine 17 conducted a search. Howard located an unconscious victim, who was removed and transferred to the care of the ambulance crew. The patient regained a pulse and began breathing on his own.

James Kusner & Brian E. Bailey: Baltimore City Fire Department

A box alarm was dispatched for a reported dwelling fire with children trapped. Acting Lieutenant Kusner from Truck 10 scaled a ground ladder and made entry into a second-floor window. He located a child, whom he handed to a firefighter on the ladder, and then resumed search. Simultaneously, Firefighter Bailey from Engine 8 located a child whom Bailey took outside to EMS providers. Tragically, the two victims did not survive.

Joseph A. McGillin & Carl A. Weiss II: DLA Fire & Emergency Services

The DLA Fire & Emergency Service in Susquehanna, PA (Truck 69) was dispatched to assist with a dwelling fire. The lieutenant from Tanker 68 secured a water source and began entry, followed by Firefighter McGillin and Captain Weiss. McGillin soon realized the lieutenant had ceased forward progress and had partially fallen through the floor. McGillin worked to pull him up while Weiss located the dropped nozzle and applied water to the flames. The lieutenant was pulled to safety. McGillin relieved Weiss to extinguish the main body of the fire while Weiss conducted a search.

Michael McIntosh: Cobb County, GA, Fire and Emergency Services

Engineer McIntosh was off duty at a local grocery store. While exiting the store, he heard shots. McIntosh ran to his vehicle and called 9-1-1 to report an active shooter incident. He saw a woman lying on the ground. Although McIntosh did not know where the shooter was, he ran to the victim—an elderly woman who had been shot in the abdomen and was now unresponsive. A police officer on scene threw McIntosh a First-Aid kit while running to find the assailant. McIntosh used a trauma dressing to hold pressure on the wound until Gwinnett County Fire was cleared to come on scene. The victim made a full recovery.

George H. Moore & Justin Spears: Fairfax County, VA, Fire and Rescue Department

Off-duty Master Technician Moore and his nephew, 16-year-old Cadet Spears, witnessed a vehicle accident in which an SUV struck a minvan, causing it to roll onto its side. Moore heard a small child screaming, broke the rear glass and crawled into the backseat. Spears entered the vehicle as well. Moore removed the child from its carseat and passed the child to Spears to pass to a bystander. Moore and Spears located the driver and were able to get him out of his seat and to the passenger window, where he was removed from the vehicle.

Richard A. Overstreet: Baltimore City Fire Department

Engine 42 was dispatched to a fire in a large single-family dwelling. As firefighters advanced a line into the dwelling, Firefighter Adrian Golodolinski fell through the floor. Lieutenant Overstreet managed to grab Golodolinski’s SCBA harness and keep him from falling into the basement, which was fully involved in fire. Overstreet pulled Golodolinski out of the opening. Golodolinski was transported to a hospital with second-degree burns to his legs.

Jason Raymond & Tomasz Oszkinis: Chicago Fire Department

Ambulance 14 was dispatched to a report of multiple gunshot victims and the possibility of a Chicago police officer shot. Ambulance Commander Raymond and Fire Paramedic Oszkinis arrived to a chaotic scene, seeing many Chicago police officers with weapons drawn and additional police units arriving from all directions. Multiple gunshots were heard, and Raymond directed Oszkinis to exit the ambulance with him so they could use it as a shield from the shots being fired. Knowing there was a shooter still actively shooting from a three-story building, Raymond and Oszkinis gathered their ALS equipment and went in search of the downed officer. Raymond and Oszkinis located the officer, who had been shot at least twice, and secured the officer on the stretcher. With CPD assistance, they removed the officer from the Hot Zone, assessed the officer and initiated ALS care. The officer was transported without incident to a local trauma center. He survived his injuries.

Timothy Rottman & Christopher Soda: Chicago Fire Department

Ambulance 52 was stopped by civilians alerting them to an apartment building fire. Paramedic In Charge Rottman and Fire Paramedic Soda entered the building to search for a minor reported to be inside. A civilian ran down the hallway further into the building and collapsed. Rottman and Soda dragged the civilian out of the building. They then attempted to re-enter the building to search for a minor in the rear bedroom but were turned back due to deteriorating conditions. Once a positive water supply was established, another search was initiated and a child in severe respiratory distress was removed from the building and transferred to Rottman and Soda. The crew initiated ALS treatment, and the child was transported to the hospital.

Jeffrey A. Walsh and Eric S. Aldenhoff: Baltimore City Fire Department

First-arriving units reported smoke showing from the second and third floors of a three-story row-home. Lieutenant Walsh and Firefighter/Paramedic Aldenhoff from Rescue 1 began searching the second floor. Under extreme heat, zero visibility and hoarder conditions, Aldenhoff located an occupant in a bedroom. With Walsh’s assistance, they removed the occupant from the building and transferred him to EMS care.

John Whalen: St. Louis Fire Department

At an apartment fire, Captain Bricker and Firefighter Bargen stretched an attack line into the fire, while others conducted exterior truck work. Firefighters Fondren and Whalen followed the hoseline to conduct a primary search. While proceeding deeper into the fire, Whalen heard moaning and soon discovered that Bargen had gone down. Whalen dragged the injured firefighter out of the apartment where patient care was rendered.