A Coventry firefighter is recovering after the ceiling of a burning building collapsed on him last week.
“He (Acting LT. Scott Brown) was the first firefighter through the door [of the house],” Central Coventry Fire Captain Jim Almagno told WPRI.
Brown was knocked to the ground when a portion of the ceiling collapsed. But, he immediately got up, checked his gear and went back to work.
“His adrenaline was pumping,” Almagno said. “He kept trying to work but noticed his arm gave out.”
Fellow firefighters brought him out of the house where they treated him. They and Brown would learn a shard of glass had impaled his arm, Chief Frank Brown said.
“[The ceiling], we think, hit a flat screen TV and shards of glass shot out from that. It appears the shard of glass went parallel through his arm.”
Doctors at Rhode Island Hospital removed the piece of glass during surgery. They are concerned about nerve damage, the chief said adding that he has a long road to recovery.
The fire chief described him as an asset to the department noting that a few years ago, he went above and beyond in his attempt to stop an autistic boy from driving off in an ambulance.
“He put himself in peril to stop a potentially bigger incident from happening. It’s just the type of individual he is."
An image of Scott being cared for by his fellow firefighters is making its rounds on social media. The fire chief tells 12 News that, when he first saw the photo, it brought a tear to his eye.
“When we come to work, we don’t know how the day is going to go,” he said. “That picture shows the brotherhood in this job … we will do whatever it takes to be there for each other.”
Almagno said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, and that the home appears to be a total loss. The three residents who lived there are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
