New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Medal

Engine Company 39
December 12, 2002, 0810 hours
Box 22-1015
955 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan

Lieutenant Paul M. Geoghegan
FF Leonard Baione
FF Joseph N. Buchanan
FF David J. Simoes
FF Timothy A. Carroll (Ladder 16)

The members of Engine Company 39 were preparing for the start of the day tour when the alarm sounded. Led by Lieutenant Paul Geoghegan, the crew members quickly donned their bunker gear and boarded the apparatus. Chauffeur Leonard Baione maneuvered the rig out into the clear, crisp morning, proceeded to the corner of Lexington Avenue and planned to turn north.

However, southbound traffic would not permit this response pattern and the pumper continued west toward Park Avenue. As the Firefighters looked north up Lexington Avenue, flames could be seen blowing out two windows from the sixth floor of a 12-story, occupied multiple dwelling. They had a job.

FF Baione parked the rig adjacent to a hydrant, switched to pump mode and started to hook up the suction hose. Simultaneously, the other members of the team dismounted, grabbed their rolled-up hose and standpipe kit and proceeded into the building lobby. After confirming the fire location, the members of Engine 39, along with the crew from Ladder 16, climbed the stairs to the fifth-floor landing--one story below the fire.

Once there, FF Timothy Carroll started to hook up his length of hose to the standpipe, while FFs Joseph Buchanan and David Simoes flaked out their hose-lines in the stairwell. After all the connections were made, the team proceeded up to the sixth floor.

After calling for the hose-line to be charged, the members entered a 2000-square-foot apartment, where the crew immediately was faced with a super-heated and extremely smoky condition. Nevertheless, they entered the dark-as-midnight environment and started crawling into the apartment as they searched for the seat of the fire.

When a report was given that fire might be on the floor below, FF Carroll went to the fifth floor to check on conditions there. Finding no fire, he radioed the information, so the team operating on the fire floor could continue advancing their line without the threat of fire below them.

The Engine 39 members yanked their hose forward until they encountered a raging fire in a large kitchen pantry area. The nozzle was opened and the attack ensued. As the heat slammed into the hose-line team upstairs, FF Baione was busy in the street below, stretching and connecting a second, precautionary hose-line to augment the water flow.

During the initial operations, falling glass had hit FF Baione’s helmet and he was concerned that the first attack-line might be cut. As the second line was charged, the connection outlet sheared and there was a significant loss of water pressure. Although the inside team was forced to withdraw momentarily from the pantry because the heat and flames were untenable, they continued to operate until the pressure was restored. After extinguishing fire in the pantry, they turned their attention to the dining room and assaulted the fire there.

The fire consumed two large rooms and forced the members of Engine 39 to operate in arduous conditions. They had little air left in their tanks, were punished by the exceedingly high heat and heavy smoke, were physically exhausted by the constant repositioning of their hose-line, but continued chasing the fire into a third room; this time, the kitchen. Rather than requesting relief, the team persevered until injuries and the lack of oxygen forced another Company to take over the final mopping up of the remaining hot spots of fire.

The aggressive actions of 39’s crew extinguished a serious fire, protected Ladder Company 16 during their search efforts and prevented auto-exposure to the floors above the fire floor where additional damage could have occurred. Assistant Chief and Manhattan Borough Commander Harold Meyers noted, “…their whole operation was indicative of excellent leadership, teamwork and training...”

The essence of firefighting is teamwork. Engine 39 clearly exemplified this trait and the members are awarded the New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Medal.--BDG