FDNY and NYC Firehouses and Fire Companies - 2nd Section
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ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
LADDER 56 MEDAL
JOHN M. O'HAGAN CAPT. LAD. 56 JUL. 4, 1979 1980 EMERALD
Captain O'Hagan was awarded the 1980 Emerald Society Medal for rescuing 8 people trapped at an apartment house fire on July 4, 1979.
DAILY NEWS HERO OF MONTH JULY 1979
DAILY NEWS HERO OF MONTH FEBRUARY 1981
LADDER 56 MEDAL
JOHN M. O'HAGAN CAPT. LAD. 56 JUL. 4, 1979 1980 EMERALD
Captain O'Hagan was awarded the 1980 Emerald Society Medal for rescuing 8 people trapped at an apartment house fire on July 4, 1979.
DAILY NEWS HERO OF MONTH JULY 1979
DAILY NEWS HERO OF MONTH FEBRUARY 1981
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- Joined
- Aug 25, 2009
- Messages
- 28,280
This pin came out when L-56 was relocated from E-42's quarters to E-48's quarters
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
ENGINE 48 MEDAL
ALBERT TURI LT. ENG. 48 JUN. 21, 1980 1981 DOLNEY
FIRE BUILDING 2350 BEAUMONT AVENUE
DAC TURI - FDNY SAFETY CHIEF
COD Ganci and 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner Feehan w/Chief Turi. RIP. Never forget.
ENGINE 48 MEDAL
ALBERT TURI LT. ENG. 48 JUN. 21, 1980 1981 DOLNEY
FIRE BUILDING 2350 BEAUMONT AVENUE
DAC TURI - FDNY SAFETY CHIEF
COD Ganci and 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner Feehan w/Chief Turi. RIP. Never forget.
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
LADDER 56 MEDAL
JACK TADDEO LT. LAD. 56 MAR. 2, 1984 1985 KENNY
LT Taddeo was awarded the Kenny Medal in 1985 for heroism at a warehouse fire March 2, 1984 at 2755 Webster Avenue.
FIRE BUILDING 2755 WEBSTER AVENUE
Battalion Chief Jack Taddeo was the FDNY Chief of Technology Management.
LADDER 56 MEDAL
JACK TADDEO LT. LAD. 56 MAR. 2, 1984 1985 KENNY
LT Taddeo was awarded the Kenny Medal in 1985 for heroism at a warehouse fire March 2, 1984 at 2755 Webster Avenue.
FIRE BUILDING 2755 WEBSTER AVENUE
Battalion Chief Jack Taddeo was the FDNY Chief of Technology Management.
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
LADDER 56 MEDAL
MICHAEL J. PUZZIFERRI FF. LAD. 56 NOV. 10, 1986 1987 COMPANY OFFICERS
MEDAL DAY 1987
DEPUTY CHIEF PUZZIFERRI
http://www.americans-working-together.com/911_world_trade_center_groundzero/id12.html
LADDER 56 MEDAL
MICHAEL J. PUZZIFERRI FF. LAD. 56 NOV. 10, 1986 1987 COMPANY OFFICERS
MEDAL DAY 1987
DEPUTY CHIEF PUZZIFERRI
http://www.americans-working-together.com/911_world_trade_center_groundzero/id12.html
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56 MEDALS
ORLANDO DAVILA FF. ENG. 48 SEP. 5, 1992 1993 KENNY
THOMAS M. DAMORE LT. LAD. 56 FEB. 13, 1994 1995 UFOA
BRIAN T. BROWNE FF. LAD. 56 2003 STEUBEN
JOHN P. BROWNE LT. BN. 18 DET. LAD. 56 2003 UFO
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56 MEDALS
ORLANDO DAVILA FF. ENG. 48 SEP. 5, 1992 1993 KENNY
THOMAS M. DAMORE LT. LAD. 56 FEB. 13, 1994 1995 UFOA
BRIAN T. BROWNE FF. LAD. 56 2003 STEUBEN
JOHN P. BROWNE LT. BN. 18 DET. LAD. 56 2003 UFO
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ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
ENGINE 48 MEDAL
RONALD F. LITTLEJOHN FF, ENG. 48 (DETAILED LAD. 56) DEC. 19, 2009 2010 FIRE BELL CLUB
FIREFIGHTER RONALD F. LITTLEJOHN
ENGINE COMPANY 48 (ASSIGNED),
LADDER COMPANY 56 (DETAILED)
December 13, 2009, 0534 hours, Box 75-3399, 2819 Morris Avenue, Bronx
It was another cold and windy night tour in the Bronx. The run came in at 0534 hours. Ladder 56 and Engine 48 were responding to 2819 Morris Avenue, the Bronx. As the apparatus pulled out of quarters, the members of Ladder 56 listened intently as the dispatcher reported, possible fire on the fifth or sixth floor; then, moments later, second source; fill out the alarm. The members anticipated a working fire and as they pulled into the block, that is exactly what they saw.
The 10-75 was transmitted on arrival. The fire building was a big, six-story, H-type, fully occupied multiple dwelling. Heavy, black smoke boiled violently into the early-morning sky from the top-floor windows of the B wing. Building occupants already were pouring into the street, fleeing the fire.
Lieutenant Kingsley Taylor, Ladder 56 (assigned to Battalion 13), led the forcible entry team into the building. FF Ronald Littlejohn had the irons and FF Bob Kehoe, Engine 48, had the extinguisher. Building occupants notified the Firefighters that the fire apartment was occupied by an elderly gentleman who likely was still in the apartment.
Lieutenant Taylor and FFs Kehoe and Littlejohn moved quickly up the six flights of stairs. Within moments, they were at the door of the fire apartment, sizing up the forcible entry options. Without delay, the team forced the door and immediately was driven to the floor by a high heat condition and thick, black smoke pushing from the occupied apartment. The members recognized this as a clear indication of an advanced and rapidly evolving fire.
FF Littlejohn, with more than 10 years on the job, knew that such advanced fire conditions are truly unforgiving. Time would not be on their side. Additionally, the building size-up indicated a long, time-consuming stretch of the hose-line. To FF Littlejohn, this meant they would be pushing the limits, working without water, without benefit of a protective hoseline for a significant period of time. (He was quick to mention that the Engine chauffeur did an excellent job getting water and the members--although a Firefighter short--did an excellent job stretching to the top floor.)
All three members moved into the apartment as smoke and heat continued to push out overhead. With the advancing fire directly ahead, Lieutenant Taylor and FF Kehoe moved into the apartment, then went to the left. FF Littlejohn maneuvered past the fire, then went to the right to start his search pattern. This aggressive and necessary action paid off. FF Littlejohn pushed on and located the trapped occupant, unconscious and badly burned, on the floor. The victim was between a couch and a large table.
FF Littlejohn immediately transmitted a 10-45 signal as FF Kehoe worked to prevent the fire from cutting off the primary egress. FF Littlejohn then dragged the elderly victim across the room to the apartment door and into the hallway where other members assisted. FF Littlejohn then turned back into the fire apartment where he continued the search for other victims. EMS personnel transported the elderly victim to Jacobi Hospital where he was admitted in critical condition with severe burns and smoke inhalation, to which he ultimately succumbed.
FF Littlejohn operated under challenging fire conditions. Without the benefit of a charged, protective hoseline, he moved past the rapidly developing fire—one that threatened to cut off his only egress--and continued his search until he found the unconscious victim. He demonstrated initiative, courage and professionalism in the performance of his duty. He is presented with the Fire Bell Club Medal.
ENGINE 48 MEDAL
RONALD F. LITTLEJOHN FF, ENG. 48 (DETAILED LAD. 56) DEC. 19, 2009 2010 FIRE BELL CLUB
FIREFIGHTER RONALD F. LITTLEJOHN
ENGINE COMPANY 48 (ASSIGNED),
LADDER COMPANY 56 (DETAILED)
December 13, 2009, 0534 hours, Box 75-3399, 2819 Morris Avenue, Bronx
It was another cold and windy night tour in the Bronx. The run came in at 0534 hours. Ladder 56 and Engine 48 were responding to 2819 Morris Avenue, the Bronx. As the apparatus pulled out of quarters, the members of Ladder 56 listened intently as the dispatcher reported, possible fire on the fifth or sixth floor; then, moments later, second source; fill out the alarm. The members anticipated a working fire and as they pulled into the block, that is exactly what they saw.
The 10-75 was transmitted on arrival. The fire building was a big, six-story, H-type, fully occupied multiple dwelling. Heavy, black smoke boiled violently into the early-morning sky from the top-floor windows of the B wing. Building occupants already were pouring into the street, fleeing the fire.
Lieutenant Kingsley Taylor, Ladder 56 (assigned to Battalion 13), led the forcible entry team into the building. FF Ronald Littlejohn had the irons and FF Bob Kehoe, Engine 48, had the extinguisher. Building occupants notified the Firefighters that the fire apartment was occupied by an elderly gentleman who likely was still in the apartment.
Lieutenant Taylor and FFs Kehoe and Littlejohn moved quickly up the six flights of stairs. Within moments, they were at the door of the fire apartment, sizing up the forcible entry options. Without delay, the team forced the door and immediately was driven to the floor by a high heat condition and thick, black smoke pushing from the occupied apartment. The members recognized this as a clear indication of an advanced and rapidly evolving fire.
FF Littlejohn, with more than 10 years on the job, knew that such advanced fire conditions are truly unforgiving. Time would not be on their side. Additionally, the building size-up indicated a long, time-consuming stretch of the hose-line. To FF Littlejohn, this meant they would be pushing the limits, working without water, without benefit of a protective hoseline for a significant period of time. (He was quick to mention that the Engine chauffeur did an excellent job getting water and the members--although a Firefighter short--did an excellent job stretching to the top floor.)
All three members moved into the apartment as smoke and heat continued to push out overhead. With the advancing fire directly ahead, Lieutenant Taylor and FF Kehoe moved into the apartment, then went to the left. FF Littlejohn maneuvered past the fire, then went to the right to start his search pattern. This aggressive and necessary action paid off. FF Littlejohn pushed on and located the trapped occupant, unconscious and badly burned, on the floor. The victim was between a couch and a large table.
FF Littlejohn immediately transmitted a 10-45 signal as FF Kehoe worked to prevent the fire from cutting off the primary egress. FF Littlejohn then dragged the elderly victim across the room to the apartment door and into the hallway where other members assisted. FF Littlejohn then turned back into the fire apartment where he continued the search for other victims. EMS personnel transported the elderly victim to Jacobi Hospital where he was admitted in critical condition with severe burns and smoke inhalation, to which he ultimately succumbed.
FF Littlejohn operated under challenging fire conditions. Without the benefit of a charged, protective hoseline, he moved past the rapidly developing fire—one that threatened to cut off his only egress--and continued his search until he found the unconscious victim. He demonstrated initiative, courage and professionalism in the performance of his duty. He is presented with the Fire Bell Club Medal.
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ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
LADDER 56 MEDAL
CHRISTOPHER T. O’BRIEN FF. LAD. 56 JUN. 9, 2012 2013 DELEHANTY
FIREFIGHTER CHRISTOPHER T. O’BRIEN
LADDER COMPANY 56
June 9, 2012, 0316 hours, Box 22-3356, Bronx
Fires occurring in occupied multiple dwellings--especially in the early-morning hours--generally are an indication that people are trapped and in need of assistance. Such was the case on June 9, 2012, at Box 3356 in the Bronx. The involved fire building is a six-story, non-fireproof, H-type multiple dwelling, measuring 150- by 175-feet, consisting of 12 apartments on each floor.
At 0316 hours, numerous phone calls were received at the Bronx Fire Communications Office for smoke in this building and a fire in apartment 6L, with children trapped. This information was transmitted to the local firehouses, including first-due Ladder 56. Combining a fast turnout, quick response and heroic actions are the necessary elements to lessen the severity of injuries, if, in fact, occupants are trapped. Because of their training and experience, the members of Ladder 56 were up to this task.
On arrival, members were confronted with a heavy fire issuing from the kitchen windows in the throat on the sixth floor, blocking the fire escape. Heavy, black smoke was coming from all other windows in this area. Brickwork was spalling from the intensity of the fire, causing shards to rain down into the entrance court.
Battalion Chief Thomas Riley, Battalion 19, and the Officer of Ladder 56, Lieutenant William Kearns, were informed by a female occupant that her husband and two small children were still in the fire apartment. The members of Ladder 56 sized up the situation and realized the arduous task ahead of them, knowing that it would be a challenge to rescue any trapped civilians in the fire apartment.
When FF Christopher O’Brien reached the sixth-floor hallway, he was met with extremely heavy, black smoke and a high heat condition because the fire apartment door had been left open. He donned his facepiece and crawled about 50 feet to the fire apartment from the interior stairway. FF O’Brien noticed that fire was rolling out of the first room on the right, just inside the fire apartment. He dropped to the floor and began to crawl underneath the flame that were pushing out from the kitchen.
At this time, FF Ronald Littlejohn, Ladder 56, was using a water extinguisher to try to hold back the fire from endangering the rescuer. FF O’Brien placed himself in a hazardous position, but knew it was necessary if he was to make a search for trapped civilians. While making a thorough search beyond the fire, he came upon an unconscious male adult lying on the floor. He communicated this information to his Officer and then began to drag the severely burned man toward the safety of the interior hallway.
The rescue was extremely difficult because most of the victim’s clothes were burned off, leaving FF O’Brien with nothing substantial to grip. While removing the unconscious adult in the narrow hallway back toward the entrance door, the Firefighter used his body to shield the victim from the flames and high heat in the kitchen area. Once outside the apartment, FF O’Brien turned the man over to other Firefighters for removal to the
building lobby.
FF O’Brien is a true hero by any standard. Due to his courage and physical strength, a male victim was removed from this fire alive. This rescue operation was performed prior to a charged hose-line being in place to protect both rescuer and victim. Assured that the rescue was completed, FF O’Brien re-entered the fire apartment to continue a search for additional trapped civilians.
FF O’Brien’s courage and selfless actions in a dangerous situation without the protection of a charged hose-line resulted in the rescue of a severely burned person. For his initiative and bravery, without regard for his own safety, the Fire Department is proud to honor FF Christopher T. O’Brien
with the M.J. Delehanty Medal.
Apr 3rd, 2013
FDNY Firefighter Says There's Nothing Like Saving a Life
FDNY Firefighter Christopher O'Brien, assigned to Ladder 56, was instrumental in the saving of a husband and father from a raging apartment fire.
FDNY Firefighter Christopher O’Brien knew things weren’t good when he and his crew from Ladder 56 pulled up on the scene of a working multi-story dwelling fire.
People were evacuating the building and there was heavy fire showing on the top floor. On top of all that, the initial call said there were people trapped in the building by that Aug. 1 blaze. It was also the day he became a hero.
The crew quickly made it into the building and found a woman in the stairwell with a chilling scream… “my babies are up there.”
“I felt so bad for that woman,” O’Brien said. “You just knew that her kids were up there. There was no question about that.”
O’Brien is a 2013 recipient a Firehouse Heroism and Community Service Award. Being modest, he quickly pointed out that he had help saving a life that day. But it was his efforts that saved a husband and a father of three from certain death in the inferno.
As O’Brien his crew made it to the apartment where the children were reported to be, they were met with high heat, thick smoke and heavy fire conditions. Knowing there were victims in the home, O’Brien hit the floor, and started crawling.
“We were pushing into the apartment, trying to make it into a back bedroom,” O’Brien said. One of the firefighters in the crew hit the heavy fire coming out of the kitchen area with the water can and O’Brien made it around the blaze heading for the bedroom.
“I got in maybe five or six feet and found the father lying on the floor, semi conscious,” O’Brien said. “I radio in a 10-45 [victim] and confirmed with my chief that we had a male victim.”
As the water can was just about empty, O’Brien pulled the man back into the hallway and got him out of the building for emergency medical care.
Just as O’Brien was pulling the man out, the hand line reached the apartment and his colleagues made that back bedroom and saved two young girls, ages three and four.
“Things don’t always end up that way,” O’Brien said. “We risk a lot all the time. We take gambles and this time, the reward was enormous.”
O’Brien said he learned the father and his wife made it out of the apartment with an infant and the man went back to get the girls, but didn’t quite make it, having been overcome with smoke.
The man suffered some burns and smoke inhalation, but survived as did the two girls rescued from the back bedroom, O’Brien said.
He said he was struck by how fast everything happened, including the development of the fire in the more than 50-year-old wood-frame structure.
“Things like this just don’t happen all the time,” O’Brien said. He added that he knows firefighters who have been in the fire service 25 to 30 years and nothing like what he experienced, saving a life, had happened to them.
The only thing that O’Brien said came even close to that was a fire in 1994 or 1995 when he located a small child in a building fire, but the child did not survive.
O’Brien said “excellent firefighting” by everyone at the scene and maybe a little divine intervention made the difference in saving that man’s life, and that of his children. It was a rush to make a dramatic difference in the family’s life, he said.
“I don’t think it gets any better than that,” O’Brien said.
https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10913684/fdny-firefighter-says-theres-nothing-like-saving-a-life
LADDER 56 MEDAL
CHRISTOPHER T. O’BRIEN FF. LAD. 56 JUN. 9, 2012 2013 DELEHANTY
FIREFIGHTER CHRISTOPHER T. O’BRIEN
LADDER COMPANY 56
June 9, 2012, 0316 hours, Box 22-3356, Bronx
Fires occurring in occupied multiple dwellings--especially in the early-morning hours--generally are an indication that people are trapped and in need of assistance. Such was the case on June 9, 2012, at Box 3356 in the Bronx. The involved fire building is a six-story, non-fireproof, H-type multiple dwelling, measuring 150- by 175-feet, consisting of 12 apartments on each floor.
At 0316 hours, numerous phone calls were received at the Bronx Fire Communications Office for smoke in this building and a fire in apartment 6L, with children trapped. This information was transmitted to the local firehouses, including first-due Ladder 56. Combining a fast turnout, quick response and heroic actions are the necessary elements to lessen the severity of injuries, if, in fact, occupants are trapped. Because of their training and experience, the members of Ladder 56 were up to this task.
On arrival, members were confronted with a heavy fire issuing from the kitchen windows in the throat on the sixth floor, blocking the fire escape. Heavy, black smoke was coming from all other windows in this area. Brickwork was spalling from the intensity of the fire, causing shards to rain down into the entrance court.
Battalion Chief Thomas Riley, Battalion 19, and the Officer of Ladder 56, Lieutenant William Kearns, were informed by a female occupant that her husband and two small children were still in the fire apartment. The members of Ladder 56 sized up the situation and realized the arduous task ahead of them, knowing that it would be a challenge to rescue any trapped civilians in the fire apartment.
When FF Christopher O’Brien reached the sixth-floor hallway, he was met with extremely heavy, black smoke and a high heat condition because the fire apartment door had been left open. He donned his facepiece and crawled about 50 feet to the fire apartment from the interior stairway. FF O’Brien noticed that fire was rolling out of the first room on the right, just inside the fire apartment. He dropped to the floor and began to crawl underneath the flame that were pushing out from the kitchen.
At this time, FF Ronald Littlejohn, Ladder 56, was using a water extinguisher to try to hold back the fire from endangering the rescuer. FF O’Brien placed himself in a hazardous position, but knew it was necessary if he was to make a search for trapped civilians. While making a thorough search beyond the fire, he came upon an unconscious male adult lying on the floor. He communicated this information to his Officer and then began to drag the severely burned man toward the safety of the interior hallway.
The rescue was extremely difficult because most of the victim’s clothes were burned off, leaving FF O’Brien with nothing substantial to grip. While removing the unconscious adult in the narrow hallway back toward the entrance door, the Firefighter used his body to shield the victim from the flames and high heat in the kitchen area. Once outside the apartment, FF O’Brien turned the man over to other Firefighters for removal to the
building lobby.
FF O’Brien is a true hero by any standard. Due to his courage and physical strength, a male victim was removed from this fire alive. This rescue operation was performed prior to a charged hose-line being in place to protect both rescuer and victim. Assured that the rescue was completed, FF O’Brien re-entered the fire apartment to continue a search for additional trapped civilians.
FF O’Brien’s courage and selfless actions in a dangerous situation without the protection of a charged hose-line resulted in the rescue of a severely burned person. For his initiative and bravery, without regard for his own safety, the Fire Department is proud to honor FF Christopher T. O’Brien
with the M.J. Delehanty Medal.
Apr 3rd, 2013
FDNY Firefighter Says There's Nothing Like Saving a Life
FDNY Firefighter Christopher O'Brien, assigned to Ladder 56, was instrumental in the saving of a husband and father from a raging apartment fire.
FDNY Firefighter Christopher O’Brien knew things weren’t good when he and his crew from Ladder 56 pulled up on the scene of a working multi-story dwelling fire.
People were evacuating the building and there was heavy fire showing on the top floor. On top of all that, the initial call said there were people trapped in the building by that Aug. 1 blaze. It was also the day he became a hero.
The crew quickly made it into the building and found a woman in the stairwell with a chilling scream… “my babies are up there.”
“I felt so bad for that woman,” O’Brien said. “You just knew that her kids were up there. There was no question about that.”
O’Brien is a 2013 recipient a Firehouse Heroism and Community Service Award. Being modest, he quickly pointed out that he had help saving a life that day. But it was his efforts that saved a husband and a father of three from certain death in the inferno.
As O’Brien his crew made it to the apartment where the children were reported to be, they were met with high heat, thick smoke and heavy fire conditions. Knowing there were victims in the home, O’Brien hit the floor, and started crawling.
“We were pushing into the apartment, trying to make it into a back bedroom,” O’Brien said. One of the firefighters in the crew hit the heavy fire coming out of the kitchen area with the water can and O’Brien made it around the blaze heading for the bedroom.
“I got in maybe five or six feet and found the father lying on the floor, semi conscious,” O’Brien said. “I radio in a 10-45 [victim] and confirmed with my chief that we had a male victim.”
As the water can was just about empty, O’Brien pulled the man back into the hallway and got him out of the building for emergency medical care.
Just as O’Brien was pulling the man out, the hand line reached the apartment and his colleagues made that back bedroom and saved two young girls, ages three and four.
“Things don’t always end up that way,” O’Brien said. “We risk a lot all the time. We take gambles and this time, the reward was enormous.”
O’Brien said he learned the father and his wife made it out of the apartment with an infant and the man went back to get the girls, but didn’t quite make it, having been overcome with smoke.
The man suffered some burns and smoke inhalation, but survived as did the two girls rescued from the back bedroom, O’Brien said.
He said he was struck by how fast everything happened, including the development of the fire in the more than 50-year-old wood-frame structure.
“Things like this just don’t happen all the time,” O’Brien said. He added that he knows firefighters who have been in the fire service 25 to 30 years and nothing like what he experienced, saving a life, had happened to them.
The only thing that O’Brien said came even close to that was a fire in 1994 or 1995 when he located a small child in a building fire, but the child did not survive.
O’Brien said “excellent firefighting” by everyone at the scene and maybe a little divine intervention made the difference in saving that man’s life, and that of his children. It was a rush to make a dramatic difference in the family’s life, he said.
“I don’t think it gets any better than that,” O’Brien said.
https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10913684/fdny-firefighter-says-theres-nothing-like-saving-a-life
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
LADDER 56 MEDAL
WILLIAM KEARNS LT. LAD. 56 JUN. 9, 2012 2013 GOLDMAN
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM R. KEARNS
LADDER COMPANY 56
June 9, 2012, 0316 hours, Box 22-3356, Bronx
H-type buildings, named for their overhead configuration, are problematic for FDNY Firefighters due to long public hallways, apartment clusters separated by “wings” and long hose-line stretches from the street. Ladder 56, under the command of 31-year FDNY veteran Lieutenant William Kearns, arrived at a six-story, H-type apartment building in the Bronx, just after 0300 hours for reports of a fire with people trapped inside. While responding, Lieutenant Kearns confirmed an advanced fire on the top floor and transmitted the appropriate information to the Bronx dispatcher.
The volume of fire out of the window, the sound of bricks exploding off the exterior wall from high heat, the report of trapped occupants and the time (when most people are asleep) were indicators that the Lieutenant and his team would have to move quickly. They headed into the lobby without delay.
Lieutenant Kearns and his inside team--FFs Christopher O’Brien with the irons and Ronald Littlejohn with the water extinguisher--made their way up the stairs to the second-floor public hallway. They were met by a frantic woman, who, while holding an infant, said the rest of her family--husband and two girls, ages one and three--were still trapped in the burning apartment.
As the rescuers ascended the stairs between the fifth and sixth floors, they were met by blinding, choking smoke—an indication that the fire apartment door was left open, threatening the public hallway. Lieutenant Kearns and his team donned their facepieces on the stairs, climbed up to the top-floor public hallway and then crawled 50 feet, feeling their way along the wall and doors, until they reached the fire apartment.
As the Officer and his two Firefighters entered the apartment and moved down the hallway, they were met by intense heat originating from the kitchen to their right. FF Littlejohn suppressed as much of the fire as he could with the extinguisher before Engine 48 arrived with a hose-line.
Simultaneously, FF O’Brien passed the kitchen fire and crawled deeper into the apartment, finding the husband, who was semi-conscious and badly burned. As he dragged the man to safety, FF Littlejohn expended the extinguisher. The fire quickly returned to its original intensity, but due to an extremely long, complicated stretch from the pumper, the engine company members had not yet positioned the hose-line.
Showing incredible ingenuity under punishing conditions, Lieutenant Kearns, who knew the second-to-arrive ladder company would also be on the fire floor, made his way back into the public hallway to get their extinguisher. Then, he went back into the fire apartment to the kitchen doorway. The stream from the second extinguisher held the fire back long enough for FF O’Brien to remove the man from the apartment.
Just as the second extinguisher expired, Engine 48’s nozzle team arrived and began extinguishing the fire, which had extended beyond the kitchen. Fed by cooking oil, the fire was so persistent that another hose-line was called to back up the first line in the fire apartment. Lieutenant Kearns’ search continued for the missing children as he moved past the kitchen and turned right into a bedroom. He crawled to the far side of the room where he felt a crib.
Then, sweeping the mattress with his right hand, he found the unconscious body of the one-year-old girl. He transmitted his finding over the handie-talkie and planned his next move. Given the intense heat and heavy smoke condition, the delay in getting a second hose-line into the apartment and the fact that the toddler was unresponsive, Lieutenant Kearns decided to retrace his movements back past the main body of fire in the kitchen to get the toddler to safety as quickly as possible.
When the Officer reached the fifth floor landing with the victim, he quickly assessed that the child, who had soot covering her mouth and nose, was unconscious, but breathing. He rushed her down six flights to the street and delivered her to the EMS crew in front of the building. (The other missing girl was found in the back bedroom by another company.) Lieutenant Kearns then returned to the fire apartment to supervise overhaul operations.
For his remarkable leadership and firefighting skills at this dangerous fire, Lieutenant William R. Kearns is awarded the Edith B. Goldman Medal.
Family of 5 Saved from 2-Alarm Bronx Fire
Fox 5 - June 10, 2012
by TERESA PRIOLO, Fox 5 News Reporter
MYFOXNY.COM - Fire officials say five members of a family were saved from the two-alarm fire that ravaged the top floor of a building in the Bronx early Saturday morning. The family of five was trapped in their sixth floor apartment when the fire broke out.
The mother was able to escape with her infant son out immediately, but rescuing the father and two young children, both under the age of 5, proved to be much more difficult for firefighters.
FDNY Lieutenant William Kearns of Ladder 56 explained what firefighters saw when they arrived at the apartment.
"We heard popping and it turned out to be the bricks almost exploding because it was so hot, it was popping," said Kearns.
Firefighters from Ladder 56 arrived at the Bronx apartment building on 50 East 191st Street at 3:30 a.m. to find heavy smoke and raging flames. Greeting them inside was a family with no way out.
"As we arrived on the second floor we met the mother who was distraught, crying saying my two babies and husband is in the apartment," said Kearns.
The massive fire was almost too much to bear by the time firefighters reached the sixth floor apartment. Firefighters had trouble getting water to the floor because of the height of the building.
Crews needed to use a fire extinguisher to hold the fire back. As they entered the apartment, they found the 28-year-old father badly burned, buy still alive.
Firefighter Chris O'Brien said, "In hallway just beyond kitchen, we heard some moans and we found him lying on side. We were able to pull him out past the kitchen."
The firefighters continued inside and found a 3-year-old girl unconscious in bed and her 1-year-old sister in her crib.
Fire investigators believe the fire began in the kitchen and they are working to pinpoint exactly how. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control at 4:00 a.m.
Neighbors were left to assess the severity of the fire and those who were injured.
"I saw him in the elevator," said one neighbor. "His body was darkened from the soot and smoke. I turned away because I didn't want to see how badly injured he was."
The family was taken to Jacobi Medical Center. The father and the three kids suffered the worst of it and they are currently in critical condition.
Three firefighters also sustained minor injuries.
https://www.ufanyc.org/cms/contents/view/13231
LADDER 56 MEDAL
WILLIAM KEARNS LT. LAD. 56 JUN. 9, 2012 2013 GOLDMAN
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM R. KEARNS
LADDER COMPANY 56
June 9, 2012, 0316 hours, Box 22-3356, Bronx
H-type buildings, named for their overhead configuration, are problematic for FDNY Firefighters due to long public hallways, apartment clusters separated by “wings” and long hose-line stretches from the street. Ladder 56, under the command of 31-year FDNY veteran Lieutenant William Kearns, arrived at a six-story, H-type apartment building in the Bronx, just after 0300 hours for reports of a fire with people trapped inside. While responding, Lieutenant Kearns confirmed an advanced fire on the top floor and transmitted the appropriate information to the Bronx dispatcher.
The volume of fire out of the window, the sound of bricks exploding off the exterior wall from high heat, the report of trapped occupants and the time (when most people are asleep) were indicators that the Lieutenant and his team would have to move quickly. They headed into the lobby without delay.
Lieutenant Kearns and his inside team--FFs Christopher O’Brien with the irons and Ronald Littlejohn with the water extinguisher--made their way up the stairs to the second-floor public hallway. They were met by a frantic woman, who, while holding an infant, said the rest of her family--husband and two girls, ages one and three--were still trapped in the burning apartment.
As the rescuers ascended the stairs between the fifth and sixth floors, they were met by blinding, choking smoke—an indication that the fire apartment door was left open, threatening the public hallway. Lieutenant Kearns and his team donned their facepieces on the stairs, climbed up to the top-floor public hallway and then crawled 50 feet, feeling their way along the wall and doors, until they reached the fire apartment.
As the Officer and his two Firefighters entered the apartment and moved down the hallway, they were met by intense heat originating from the kitchen to their right. FF Littlejohn suppressed as much of the fire as he could with the extinguisher before Engine 48 arrived with a hose-line.
Simultaneously, FF O’Brien passed the kitchen fire and crawled deeper into the apartment, finding the husband, who was semi-conscious and badly burned. As he dragged the man to safety, FF Littlejohn expended the extinguisher. The fire quickly returned to its original intensity, but due to an extremely long, complicated stretch from the pumper, the engine company members had not yet positioned the hose-line.
Showing incredible ingenuity under punishing conditions, Lieutenant Kearns, who knew the second-to-arrive ladder company would also be on the fire floor, made his way back into the public hallway to get their extinguisher. Then, he went back into the fire apartment to the kitchen doorway. The stream from the second extinguisher held the fire back long enough for FF O’Brien to remove the man from the apartment.
Just as the second extinguisher expired, Engine 48’s nozzle team arrived and began extinguishing the fire, which had extended beyond the kitchen. Fed by cooking oil, the fire was so persistent that another hose-line was called to back up the first line in the fire apartment. Lieutenant Kearns’ search continued for the missing children as he moved past the kitchen and turned right into a bedroom. He crawled to the far side of the room where he felt a crib.
Then, sweeping the mattress with his right hand, he found the unconscious body of the one-year-old girl. He transmitted his finding over the handie-talkie and planned his next move. Given the intense heat and heavy smoke condition, the delay in getting a second hose-line into the apartment and the fact that the toddler was unresponsive, Lieutenant Kearns decided to retrace his movements back past the main body of fire in the kitchen to get the toddler to safety as quickly as possible.
When the Officer reached the fifth floor landing with the victim, he quickly assessed that the child, who had soot covering her mouth and nose, was unconscious, but breathing. He rushed her down six flights to the street and delivered her to the EMS crew in front of the building. (The other missing girl was found in the back bedroom by another company.) Lieutenant Kearns then returned to the fire apartment to supervise overhaul operations.
For his remarkable leadership and firefighting skills at this dangerous fire, Lieutenant William R. Kearns is awarded the Edith B. Goldman Medal.
Family of 5 Saved from 2-Alarm Bronx Fire
Fox 5 - June 10, 2012
by TERESA PRIOLO, Fox 5 News Reporter
MYFOXNY.COM - Fire officials say five members of a family were saved from the two-alarm fire that ravaged the top floor of a building in the Bronx early Saturday morning. The family of five was trapped in their sixth floor apartment when the fire broke out.
The mother was able to escape with her infant son out immediately, but rescuing the father and two young children, both under the age of 5, proved to be much more difficult for firefighters.
FDNY Lieutenant William Kearns of Ladder 56 explained what firefighters saw when they arrived at the apartment.
"We heard popping and it turned out to be the bricks almost exploding because it was so hot, it was popping," said Kearns.
Firefighters from Ladder 56 arrived at the Bronx apartment building on 50 East 191st Street at 3:30 a.m. to find heavy smoke and raging flames. Greeting them inside was a family with no way out.
"As we arrived on the second floor we met the mother who was distraught, crying saying my two babies and husband is in the apartment," said Kearns.
The massive fire was almost too much to bear by the time firefighters reached the sixth floor apartment. Firefighters had trouble getting water to the floor because of the height of the building.
Crews needed to use a fire extinguisher to hold the fire back. As they entered the apartment, they found the 28-year-old father badly burned, buy still alive.
Firefighter Chris O'Brien said, "In hallway just beyond kitchen, we heard some moans and we found him lying on side. We were able to pull him out past the kitchen."
The firefighters continued inside and found a 3-year-old girl unconscious in bed and her 1-year-old sister in her crib.
Fire investigators believe the fire began in the kitchen and they are working to pinpoint exactly how. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control at 4:00 a.m.
Neighbors were left to assess the severity of the fire and those who were injured.
"I saw him in the elevator," said one neighbor. "His body was darkened from the soot and smoke. I turned away because I didn't want to see how badly injured he was."
The family was taken to Jacobi Medical Center. The father and the three kids suffered the worst of it and they are currently in critical condition.
Three firefighters also sustained minor injuries.
https://www.ufanyc.org/cms/contents/view/13231
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
LADDER 56 MEDAL
PATRICK T. MATARAZA III LT. LAD. 56 MAR. 5, 2018 2019 GORDON BENNETT
Lieutenant Patrick T. Mataraza, III of Ladder Company 56 received the James Gordon Bennett Medal and NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal for rescuing 3 individuals from an apartment fire. Lieutenant Mataraza entered the building with zero visibility and located an adult and child lying unconscious on the floor. He was able to remove both victims safely. Lt. Mataraza then re-entered the apartment and located a third victim. He was able to remove the victim with assistance from a Rescue 3 member.
James Gordon Bennett Medal/
NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal
Lieutenant Patrick T. Mataraza, III
Ladder Company 56
March 5, 2018, 0132 hours, Box 22-3328, Bronx
At 0132 hours on March 5, 2018, Ladder 56 was dispatched as the second-due truck for a phone alarm for a fire in a multiple dwelling at Box 3328. As the truck entered the block, numerous panicked civilians were descending the front fire escape. While Ladder 38 was forcing the front inside vestibule door, Lieutenant Patrick T. Mataraza, III, Ladder 56, noticed the fire in the first-floor rear apartment had taken over the public hallway, extending up the only interior stairwell in the building. He notified Battalion Chief Kenneth Knapp, Battalion 18, that Ladder 56 would be delayed getting to the floor above. Monitoring the radio and with numerous reports of people trapped on the floor above, the Lieutenant determined that an alternate means of entry must be found to reach the apartment on the floor above.
As numerous people were being removed off the overcrowded fire escape via a portable ladder, Lieutenant Mataraza climbed the drop ladder to the second floor. When the escaping tenants saw his access, some frantically began to climb down, separating Ladder 56’s forcible entry team.
The Lieutenant entered the second-floor apartment. Operating in zero visibility, he went through the apartment and located the front door. Opening it slowly, he observed the intensity of the flames roaring up the stairs, but knew any victims in the rear apartment must be rescued quickly for a chance to survive. Securing the deadbolt in the open position, he slid on his stomach across the floor to try to gain entry into the apartment directly above the fire. Almost reaching the doorway, the heat and flames were too severe and he had to retreat to his area of refuge. Knowing full well that survival chances were diminishing for the victims trapped in the apartment, he made second and third attempts. Finally, on his third attempt, Lieutenant Mataraza reached the unlocked apartment door, even though there was no water on the fire.
Once in this apartment, the Lieutenant began a search in high heat and zero visibility. He noticed that the fire had extended upward and requested a line to the floor above. As he continued to search on his stomach, he located an adult and child lying unconscious on the floor. Quickly transmitting the 10-45 signal, he began to drag both victims back to the apartment door. Unable to remove both victims around furniture, he picked up the young child and carried her; luckily, the fire was knocked down in the stairwell and the victim was removed via this route. After handing off the victim, he regrouped with his inside team and assisted them with the removal of the second victim.
The Lieutenant re-entered the apartment on the floor above, which now had a few rooms consumed in fire. Despite these conditions and without the protection of a hose-line, he continued his search and located a third victim in the bathroom. He began to remove this victim with assistance from a Rescue 3 member.
The Lieutenant put himself in danger on three occasions, but with a calculated and aggressive decision to use an alternate means of entry into the floor above, he rescued three individuals. Lieutenant Patrick T. Mataraza, III, exemplified bravery with his actions and is awarded the James Gordon Bennett Medal/NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal.
LADDER 56 MEDAL
PATRICK T. MATARAZA III LT. LAD. 56 MAR. 5, 2018 2019 GORDON BENNETT
Lieutenant Patrick T. Mataraza, III of Ladder Company 56 received the James Gordon Bennett Medal and NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal for rescuing 3 individuals from an apartment fire. Lieutenant Mataraza entered the building with zero visibility and located an adult and child lying unconscious on the floor. He was able to remove both victims safely. Lt. Mataraza then re-entered the apartment and located a third victim. He was able to remove the victim with assistance from a Rescue 3 member.
James Gordon Bennett Medal/
NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal
Lieutenant Patrick T. Mataraza, III
Ladder Company 56
March 5, 2018, 0132 hours, Box 22-3328, Bronx
At 0132 hours on March 5, 2018, Ladder 56 was dispatched as the second-due truck for a phone alarm for a fire in a multiple dwelling at Box 3328. As the truck entered the block, numerous panicked civilians were descending the front fire escape. While Ladder 38 was forcing the front inside vestibule door, Lieutenant Patrick T. Mataraza, III, Ladder 56, noticed the fire in the first-floor rear apartment had taken over the public hallway, extending up the only interior stairwell in the building. He notified Battalion Chief Kenneth Knapp, Battalion 18, that Ladder 56 would be delayed getting to the floor above. Monitoring the radio and with numerous reports of people trapped on the floor above, the Lieutenant determined that an alternate means of entry must be found to reach the apartment on the floor above.
As numerous people were being removed off the overcrowded fire escape via a portable ladder, Lieutenant Mataraza climbed the drop ladder to the second floor. When the escaping tenants saw his access, some frantically began to climb down, separating Ladder 56’s forcible entry team.
The Lieutenant entered the second-floor apartment. Operating in zero visibility, he went through the apartment and located the front door. Opening it slowly, he observed the intensity of the flames roaring up the stairs, but knew any victims in the rear apartment must be rescued quickly for a chance to survive. Securing the deadbolt in the open position, he slid on his stomach across the floor to try to gain entry into the apartment directly above the fire. Almost reaching the doorway, the heat and flames were too severe and he had to retreat to his area of refuge. Knowing full well that survival chances were diminishing for the victims trapped in the apartment, he made second and third attempts. Finally, on his third attempt, Lieutenant Mataraza reached the unlocked apartment door, even though there was no water on the fire.
Once in this apartment, the Lieutenant began a search in high heat and zero visibility. He noticed that the fire had extended upward and requested a line to the floor above. As he continued to search on his stomach, he located an adult and child lying unconscious on the floor. Quickly transmitting the 10-45 signal, he began to drag both victims back to the apartment door. Unable to remove both victims around furniture, he picked up the young child and carried her; luckily, the fire was knocked down in the stairwell and the victim was removed via this route. After handing off the victim, he regrouped with his inside team and assisted them with the removal of the second victim.
The Lieutenant re-entered the apartment on the floor above, which now had a few rooms consumed in fire. Despite these conditions and without the protection of a hose-line, he continued his search and located a third victim in the bathroom. He began to remove this victim with assistance from a Rescue 3 member.
The Lieutenant put himself in danger on three occasions, but with a calculated and aggressive decision to use an alternate means of entry into the floor above, he rescued three individuals. Lieutenant Patrick T. Mataraza, III, exemplified bravery with his actions and is awarded the James Gordon Bennett Medal/NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal.
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ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
ENGINE 48 LODD
FIREFIGHTER JOSEPH P. AHERN ENGINE 48 APRIL 10, 1934
Fireman Joseph P. Ahern of Engine 48 was overcome by smoke while operating at a fire at 2180 Bolton Street. The two-alarm fire was on the top floor of this six-story apartment building destroying three apartments. It was brought under control in a half-hour at which time Fireman Ahern collapsed. He was carried outside and placed on one of the trucks. Dr. Rosencranz, Fire Department Surgeon, tried to revive him. He went into a coma and died a short time later. Fireman Ahern lived at 538 West 136th Street and had been a member of the Fire Department since March of 1909. -from "The Last Alarm"
FIRE BUILDING 2180 BOLTON STREET
RIP. NEVER FORGET.
ENGINE 48 LODD
FIREFIGHTER JOSEPH P. AHERN ENGINE 48 APRIL 10, 1934
Fireman Joseph P. Ahern of Engine 48 was overcome by smoke while operating at a fire at 2180 Bolton Street. The two-alarm fire was on the top floor of this six-story apartment building destroying three apartments. It was brought under control in a half-hour at which time Fireman Ahern collapsed. He was carried outside and placed on one of the trucks. Dr. Rosencranz, Fire Department Surgeon, tried to revive him. He went into a coma and died a short time later. Fireman Ahern lived at 538 West 136th Street and had been a member of the Fire Department since March of 1909. -from "The Last Alarm"
FIRE BUILDING 2180 BOLTON STREET
RIP. NEVER FORGET.
ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
ENGINE 48 LODD
FIREFIGHTER JAMES F. HUGHES ENGINE 48 MAY 3, 1938
Captain Joseph A. Tracy and Fireman James F. Hughes, both of Engine 48, died from the injuries they received in a collision with Rescue 3. At 1:15 in the morning Engine 48 was responding to a fire at East 183rd Street and Grand Avenue. Rescue 3 was responding to an ammonia leak at 196th Street and Valentine Avenue. At 188th Street and Valentine Avenue, Rescue 3 broadsided Engine 48. The collision was so violent that the body was ripped from the frame with the gasoline exploding and setting Engine 48 on fire. All the firemen were thrown from both rigs with all the members of Engine 48 being seriously injured. Captain Tracy, Firemen Hughes, Joseph Brady and Edward Slovack all received fractured skulls and other injuries. Both Tracy and Hughes died several hours later at Fordham Hospital. -from "The Last Alarm"
RESCUE 3 1924 MACK DESTROYED IN COLLISION
RIP. NEVER FORGET.
ENGINE 48 LODD
FIREFIGHTER JAMES F. HUGHES ENGINE 48 MAY 3, 1938
Captain Joseph A. Tracy and Fireman James F. Hughes, both of Engine 48, died from the injuries they received in a collision with Rescue 3. At 1:15 in the morning Engine 48 was responding to a fire at East 183rd Street and Grand Avenue. Rescue 3 was responding to an ammonia leak at 196th Street and Valentine Avenue. At 188th Street and Valentine Avenue, Rescue 3 broadsided Engine 48. The collision was so violent that the body was ripped from the frame with the gasoline exploding and setting Engine 48 on fire. All the firemen were thrown from both rigs with all the members of Engine 48 being seriously injured. Captain Tracy, Firemen Hughes, Joseph Brady and Edward Slovack all received fractured skulls and other injuries. Both Tracy and Hughes died several hours later at Fordham Hospital. -from "The Last Alarm"
RESCUE 3 1924 MACK DESTROYED IN COLLISION
RIP. NEVER FORGET.
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ENGINE 48/LADDER 56/DIVISION 7 (CONTINUED)
ENGINE 48 LODD
CAPTAIN JOSEPH TRACY ENGINE 48 MAY 3, 1938
Captain Joseph A. Tracy and Fireman James F. Hughes, both of Engine 48, died from the injuries they received in a collision with Rescue 3. At 1:15 in the morning Engine 48 was responding to a fire at East 183rd Street and Grand Avenue. Rescue 3 was responding to an ammonia leak at 196th Street and Valentine Avenue. At 188th Street and Valentine Avenue, Rescue 3 broadsided Engine 48. The collision was so violent that the body was ripped from the frame with the gasoline exploding and setting Engine 48 on fire. All the firemen were thrown from both rigs with all the members of Engine 48 being seriously injured. Captain Tracy, Firemen Hughes, Joseph Brady and Edward Slovack all received fractured skulls and other injuries. Both Tracy and Hughes died several hours later at Fordham Hospital. -from "The Last Alarm"
CAPTAIN TRACY FUNERAL
RIP. NEVER FORGET.
ENGINE 48 LODD
CAPTAIN JOSEPH TRACY ENGINE 48 MAY 3, 1938
Captain Joseph A. Tracy and Fireman James F. Hughes, both of Engine 48, died from the injuries they received in a collision with Rescue 3. At 1:15 in the morning Engine 48 was responding to a fire at East 183rd Street and Grand Avenue. Rescue 3 was responding to an ammonia leak at 196th Street and Valentine Avenue. At 188th Street and Valentine Avenue, Rescue 3 broadsided Engine 48. The collision was so violent that the body was ripped from the frame with the gasoline exploding and setting Engine 48 on fire. All the firemen were thrown from both rigs with all the members of Engine 48 being seriously injured. Captain Tracy, Firemen Hughes, Joseph Brady and Edward Slovack all received fractured skulls and other injuries. Both Tracy and Hughes died several hours later at Fordham Hospital. -from "The Last Alarm"
CAPTAIN TRACY FUNERAL
RIP. NEVER FORGET.
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