Honoring Those Who Shine When Things Go Wrong

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang SAVING A BROTHER: Firefighter Anthony Romano of Ladder Company 142 received the Fire Department's top citation, the James Gordon Bennett Medal, at this year's Medal Day June 3 for his rescue of Firefighter Robert Grover, who was trapped and injured inside a burning house in Queens.

Firefighter Anthony Romano didn't know he had suffered a broken jaw and internal injuries until he noticed he was in an ambulance.

On Feb. 26, while responding to a fire with Ladder Co. 142 from Richmond Hill, Queens, he heard a Mayday call from Firefighter Robert Grover, who said, "I'm burning up in the rear." With both the fire and visibility getting worse, he was able to find and rescue Firefighter Grover, who suffered heavy burn injuries. Mr. Romano, after helping him out of the burning house, stayed with him until medical responders came for both of them.

For this, Mr. Romano received the Fire Department's top award, the James Gordon Bennett Medal, at the department's Medal Day ceremony June 3 at Pace University.

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang IN HONOR OF THE 343: The members of Ladder Co. 4 received the first World Trade Center Memorial Medal for their response to the fatal crane collapse in midtown in March 2008. The new citation is endowed by families of FDNY members who were killed on 9/11.

"It was a rush," he recalled. "I definitely knew something wasn't going right. It turned out my way. It could have been a lot worse."

Dispatch Controversy

The commemoration of Mr. Romano's heroism was a reminder of a bitter flare-up between his union, the Uniformed Firefighters Association, and the FDNY. Ladder 142 had also been initially sent to the wrong address, leading it to arrive at the fire 16 minutes after it was dispatched. This prompted the union to blast a new dispatch policy that was meant to get units out of their firehouses faster. UFA President Steve Cassidy had also claimed that the lack of a radio microphone near the Firefighter's collar contributed to Mr. Grover's injuries.

Firefighter Romano shared the spotlight with 37 other firefighters and 12 Emergency Medical Service responders. Among them was Firefighter James Byrne, who won the Harry Archer Medal, which is given out every three years to a medal winner over that span. He won the Bennett Medal in 2007.

His company responded to a fire on the sixth floor of an apartment building on Beach Channel Drive in Queens. When Firefighter Kevin Mc- Carthy became trapped by flames in a hallway, Firefighter Byrne went in after him without a hose-line. He pulled Firefighter McCarthy 22 feet down the hallway to an apartment away from the flames. Firefighter Mc- Carthy suffered second-degree burns on his back and neck.

WTC Medal to Ladder 4

This year's Medal Day, held at Pace University's auditorium rather than across the street outside City Hall because of the chance of a rainstorm, included a new award to a fire company: the World Trade Center Memorial Medal, which is endowed by family members of the 343 FDNY members who died responding to 9/11, and this year went to Ladder Co. 4 in midtown Manhattan for its response to the deadly crane collapse on March 15, 2008.

Firefighter Edward Coyle said it was humbling to receive an award in the name of those killed on 9/11, as 15 firefighters from his company were among the victims that day.

"It definitely reminded me of 9/11 a little bit," he said, recalling the collapse, which sparked several reforms in the Department of Buildings. "It wasn't the sheer size, but just to see it. You don't really have a plan because you don't know what you're going into sometimes."

Real-Life 'Superheroes'

He shared the award with Lieut. Christopher King and Firefighters Louis Esposito, Patrick Moore, Daniel Squire and George Young.

In his opening speech, Mayor Bloomberg honored "first responders who raced into blazing homes, scaled high-rises, broke through chained locked doors, jumped onto live subway tracks, caught babies and saved victims from drowning."

He continued, "It sounds like I'm talking about a group of Hollywood superheroes, doesn't it? But the fact is, the feats that our Bravest perform everyday could rival anything that we see in the movies."

Paramedic Juan Henriquez was also cited for his heroism in the midtown crane collapse, as he helped pull victims out of the rubble even as a secondary collapse of the building occurred, stymieing the response team's efforts and putting them at immediate risk. This was the second time he received the EMS Christopher Prescott Medal; in 2007, he won it along with his partner for staying in a burning building for close to 90 minutes attempting to save a Firefighter and a Lieutenant, both of whom later died. This year, he shared it with EMS Medical Director Dr. Dario Gonzalez, Paramedic Marco Girao and Lieut. Louis Cook.

Saved Woman After Explosion

Firefighter Scott Hamelburg of Ladder Co. 163 in Queens had only two years on the job on Nov. 21, 2007. While his company responded to a call, it witnessed a gas explosion, and Firefighter Hamelburg rushed in without a hose line after hearing a woman yelled that there was someone still inside. He called it a humbling experience to receive the Henry D. Brookman Medal for the rescue, but added that he just fell back on his Fire Academy training.

"It was definitely out of the ordinary," Mr. Hamelburg said. "A gas explosion witnessed, not many people will see that."

Posthumous Honors for 1 Hero

Emergency Medical Technician Juan Rios and, posthumously, Jason Ruiz, received the Jack Pintchik Medal for saving a woman who had fallen onto live subway tracks at the G line station on Myrtle Ave. July 15, 2008. Two months later, Mr. Ruiz was stabbed to death after answering the door of his girlfriend's Sunset Park, Brooklyn apartment. He was 30 years old.

The other Firefighters to win medals were Christopher Kelly, John Kroon, Michael Roskowinski, Michael Hefner, Michael Cunningham, Philip Taylor, Michael Tompkins, Christopher Ganci, Firefighter Ronald Soltysik, Vincent Trotter, Charles Maloney, Christian Nielsen, Thomas Gies, Jerrold Dietz, Michael Tansey, Thomas Sullivan, Brian Connelly, Thomas Signor, Thomas McDonagh and William Clark.

Two fire companies received the Lt. James Curran/New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Medal: Engine Co. 44 and Engine Co. 227. Honored from Engine Co. 44 were Lieut. Edward Ryan and Firefighters David Halvey, William Cupo, Thomas Accardo, Edward Bohan and Bryan Doyle. Cited from Engine Co. 227 were Lieut. Kenneth Macko, and Firefighters John Blakley, Travis Dillahunt, Michael Mucci, Christopher O'Brien and Bryson Sullivan.

Ladder Co. 6 of Chinatown received the Firefighter Thomas Elsasser Memorial Medal for rescuing several fire apartment victims March 27, 2008 on Grand St. The members cited were Lieut. Michael Pietracatella and Firefighters Jason Cruz, Steve Gough, Keith Johnson, Kevin McCormick and Christian Murphy.

Others Winners

Fire Marshal Robert McDevitt won the Deputy Commissioner Christine R. Godek Medal, and Battalion Chief Barry Brandes won the Firefighter David J. DeFranco Medal.

The Fire Captains cited this year were James Walsh, Michael Cuccurullo, Mark Doran and James Ellson. The other Fire Lieutenants winning awards were Thomas O'Day, Victor Spadaro, Kevin Quinn, Tate Hunt, Daniel Hunt, Timothy Grant, Michael Kirwin and Michael Lyons.

The other Paramedics cited were Zarina Ronay, Brian Frayne, Kimberley Marshall and Juan Lebron. EMTs Rostantin Kruczowy and Isaiah Baker also won awards.