WEST CHESTER — Fighting a house fire is always challenging for the men and women who risk their safety to do so. But what firefighters from three southern Chester County fire companies faced last fall when confronted with a teenager trapped in a flame-engulfed home went beyond the normal.
The firefighters had to enter the home even before significant water could be brought to bear on the flames surrounding the panicked 15-year-old, who was autistic and non-verbal. The boy, terrified at what was happening, fought his would-be rescuers out of fear. Heavy smoke blinded the trio of men in the blazing home.
Then again, additional water was hard to come by, as the nearest hydrant was 3,000 feet away. And even as a hose was laid to the fire to assist in its extinguishment, an impatient motorist ran it over, rupturing it and rendering it useless.
“Firefighting is an ultra-hazardous and unavoidably dangerous activity,” Justin McClure, county Department of Emergency Services Deputy Director for Fire Services, told to those assembled at the county commissioners meeting Wednesday during a ceremony to honor those who responded to the blaze that night.
“But despite this danger and the impossible odds, the members of (Kennett Fire Company) Engine 24, (Longwood Fire Company) Engine 25-2 and Ladder 25 were able to safely rescue the child from the burning home.”
The men from those two companies and the Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company — which make up the Kennett Fire and EMS Regional Commission — had their story told during the awarding of citations and the William H. “Pop” Winters Award, given semi-annually to those who “best exemplify the dedication exhibited by Chief Winters, Chester County Fire Marshal from 1959 until his death in the line of duty in 1997,” said McClure.
“‘Pop’ was a tireless and caring public servant who would eagerly respond, whatever the hour and weather, to assist in emergencies,” he said in his remarks. “His abilities as a leader and an educator instilled in others the commitment to excellence that is the hallmark of Chester County’s first responders.”
Those receiving the “Pop” Winters award included Kennett firefighters Jason Nichols, Captain Bryan Broomell, and Fernando Tapis, as well as Longwood members Dylan Blackburn, Captain Merton LaBare, Patrick Looney and Michael Syska.
Receiving unit citations for their support on the night of the fire were Longwood firefighters Dennis Mellinger and Cecil Dubots, as well as Assistant Chiefs Richard Franks Jr. and Matthew Ruoss.
The awards followed a proclamation from the commissioners recognizing Fire Prevention Week in the county from Oct. 19 to 25.
As McClure gave an account of what happened, the audience at the commissioners meeting listened in rapt attention.
According to McClure, on the night of Nov. 9, 2024 the county Emergency Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call for a house fire on Jacobs Way in Pennsbury. As the residents of the home evacuated, they realized that their son was still inside. Members of the Longwood, Kennett, and Po-Mar-Lin fire companies responded to the scene, knowing that as every second passed, the fire would be growing in intensity, and the life of a child was in danger.
He said the crew of Kennett Fire Company Engine 24 arrived and was told that the 15-year-old child with autism, who was nonverbal, was trapped in his second-floor bedroom. “Without hesitation and regard for his own safety, the officer of Engine 24, Nichols, entered the burning home without the protection of a hose line and began to search for the boy.
Citations handed out during the “Pop” Winters ceremony the Chester County commissioners meeting Wednesday. (DLN photo by Michael Rellahan)
In near-zero visibility and rapidly increasing fire conditions, Nichols was able to find the child on his bed. The remaining two members from the Kennett squad, Bryan Broomell and Tapia, brought a hose line to the second floor. Broomell then left the protection of the hose line to help Nichols, who was attempting to rescue the child. “Tapia was now alone on the nozzle, fighting back the ever-increasing flames, serving as the only protection between the fire, the victim, and his rescuers,” said McClure.
“As adults, if we were ever trapped by smoke and flame, the fear would be overwhelming – unlike anything most of us have ever experienced,” he said. “ Now, imagine that same scenario through the eyes of a child, alone, in one of the most frightening environments possible. In this case, the 15-year-old boy, likely overcome by panic and confusion, struggled against the very people trying to rescue him.” They did not stop their efforts, however.
Despite the efforts of Tapia and his hose line, the fire was still rapidly growing with intensity. A crew from Longwood was the next to arrive. Knowing that Engine 24 was in desperate need of water, they stopped at the closest fire hydrant. “The problem was that this fire hydrant was 3,000 feet away,” McLure said.
Firefighters Syska and Looney, knowing that there was no time to wait, sprinted the almost half mile to the burning home and raced inside to the second floor to help the crew from Kennett. LaBare and Blackburn of arrived and also made their way to the second floor to help rescue the child.
“Sometimes, fighting a house fire can be a difficult task for even the most experienced firefighters,” McLure told those in the room. This fire and rescue however, became more impossible at every turn, he said.
The area the home was located in did not have a fire hydrant nearby; the newer-style construction of the home allowed it to burn faster and hotter than fires from decades ago; the windows of the home were shatter-proof, preventing the firefighters from rescuing the child through a window; an impatient motorist drove their vehicle over the supply hose from the fire hydrant causing it to rupture; and the 15-year-old boy panicked so much so that a mask of a firefighter was torn off, was trapped only feet away from raging flames.
The youth was rescued, and was treated at a local hospital and released. Only one firefighter suffered moderate injuries.
The danger from fire in the county is real. According to the Fire Prevention Week proclamation read by commissioners’ Vice Chairwoman Marian Moskowitz, there were six fire-related civilian deaths and 58 fire-related civilian injuries in 2024, and fire-related property damage totaled more than $50 million.
County Fire Marshall John “Jack” Weer urged residents to follow fire safety measures throughout the year, paying particular attention to use and disposal of new ion-lithium batteries. Tips can be found at https://www.chesco.org/5555/Emergency-Services.
Weer, in ending his comments, repeated an adage he has been passing on to people for years.
“Your local fire company is the only business in business trying to put itself out of business,” he said. “But our customers won’t let us.”
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment