ENGINE 162/LADDER 82/BATTALION 23 (CONTINUED)
LADDER 82 2013 WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL MEDAL
LIEUTENANT MICHAEL D. BERNSTEIN
FF DENNIS J. DEMPSEY
FF CHRISTOPHER M. DOS SANTOS
FF VINCENT A. MAYOR
FF MICHAEL A. O’NEILL
FF FRANK S. PICCOLO
October 29, 2012, 1820 hours, Box 2269,
Staten Island
On October 29, 2012, many New Yorkers believed that Hurricane Sandy would blow quickly through the City as did Hurricane Irene. Many households were busy preparing to celebrate Halloween, with parents buying candy and children increasingly excited about dressing up in their
costumes. Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy literally put a damper on those plans. As Hurricane Sandy approached the New York City area, weather forecasters predicted an extremely severe storm. As always, the members of Ladder 82 stood ready to show why this Department is known as The Bravest. What these members accomplished that unforgettable night was truly extraordinary.
At 1820 hours, Ladder 82 received an alarm for a water leak at Box 2269, Staten Island. While responding, the company was met with strong, fast-moving flood water (approximately one-and-a-half-feet deep) about two blocks from the location. Unable to proceed further, Lieutenant Michael
Bernstein ordered the apparatus stopped and reversed to avoid becoming swamped in the rising water. Moving the apparatus about 200 feet back, members found a hole in a fence line that allowed access to Millbank Road and Neutral Avenue. Moving into this area, the company encountered a Department of Transportation employee who said that those at the dispatched address had been evacuated, but other people in the area were trapped. FF Frank Piccolo, the chauffeur, stayed with the apparatus, while the rest of the company split into two groups to search for civilians trapped in their homes.
Lieutenant Bernstein, with FFs Christopher Dos Santos and Dennis Dempsey, proceeded down Neutral Avenue as water levels quickly rose from their knees to their necks. While moving down this street, they evacuated several civilians. At this time, Lieutenant Bernstein radioed FF Piccolo to call
Staten Island Dispatch Operations and request that multiple units respond with rescue boats. Meanwhile, another civilian notified FF Dos Santos of an elderly man trapped in his house. The Firefighter rescued the man by carrying him on his back through the flood waters to safety.
Simultaneously, FFs Michael O’Neill and Vincent Mayor rescued a nine-year-old boy (carried above FF O’Neill’s head) and a young adult male through the dangerous waters. As flood waters continued to rise, FF Mayor remained with an elderly, handicapped male and a 60-year-old female to wait for water rescue. However, realizing that rescue boats could be delayed, FF Mayor improvised. He found and inflated a twin-sized air
mattress by mouth and attached a dolly he found floating in the water. Using his webbing and some rope, he made the mattress into a raft. The Firefighter placed both victims on the “raft” and pulled them through the fast-moving flood waters to safety.
Just some of the numerous rescues made are highlighted here. The members of Ladder 82 operated for more than six hours; first, on their own, successfully rescuing and evacuating dozens of people before other fire companies arrived on-scene. They operated over and over again past the point of exhaustion and without the benefit of water rescue gear. They performed numerous rescues in deplorable conditions--through freezing
waters (contaminated by sewage), with transformers and power lines exploding over their heads and the danger of falling into open manholes and being struck by large amounts of floating debris.
For their superlative efforts, which are in keeping with the highest traditions of the New York City Fire Department, we are proud to honor the members of Ladder 82--Lieutenant Michael D. Bernstein and FFs Dennis J. Dempsey, Christopher M. Dos Santos, Vincent A. Mayor, Michael A. O’Neill and Frank S. Piccolo--today with the World Trade Center Memorial Medal.
Hurricane Sandy heroes: Staten Island's Ladder 82 honored at FDNY Medal Day
Updated Jan 03, 2019; Posted Jun 05, 2013
By Ken Paulsen |
paulsen@siadvance.com
Staten Island's Ladder 82 was honored at the FDNY's Medal Day Wednesday for its heroic response during Hurricane Sandy.
The Great Kills-based unit was presented with the World Trade Center Memorial Medal by Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The unit responded to streets in New Dorp Beach that had become rivers of rushing water as a result of Hurricane Sandy's tidal surge.
Among the individual stories of heroism to come out of the unit was the experience of firefighter Vincent Mayor: As the storm surge intensified, Mayor needed an action plan to get a disabled 90-year-old man to safety. Surrounded by floodwaters and with the senior citizen showing signs of shock, Mayor inflated a twin-size air mattress using his mouth, found a dolly floating outside, and tied the two together, making them into a raft.
The Fire Department's annual Medal Day saluted seven fire officers, 28 firefighters, two Emergency Medical Service officers, four paramedics, four emergency medical technicians, one fire marshal, and three fire companies were awarded medals for their heroic acts.
"This year, we take particular note of firefighters and emergency medical services personnel who put themselves in harm's way to save others during the worst storm in our city's recorded history: Hurricane Sandy," said Mayor Bloomberg.
Cassano lauded those who put their lives on the line to save others: "No one day in the past year better demonstrated how important the Department is to the people of New York than on Oct. 29, 2012 when Hurricane Sandy struck the City like no storm ever has before," he said. "Every working FDNY member, and many off-duty members, was fully engaged in response to the unprecedented storm, demonstrating again and again why they are rightly called the Bravest."