Firefighter Thomas R. Elsasser Memorial Medal

Ladder Company 36’s rig. photo courtesy of Ladder 36

Ladder Company 36
January 6, 2002, 0324 hours
Box 75-1765
553 West 187th Street, Manhattan

Captain Martin E. Monaghan
FF James D. Marley, II
FF Michael P. King
FF Douglas R. Feffer
FF Steven F. Brunner
FF Thomas C. Brick

At approximately 0320 hours on January 6, 2002, Ladder 36 was en route to a reported boiler emergency and then was redirected to a building fire when Captain Monaghan advised the dispatcher that his Company was only a few blocks away. Ladder 36’s members observed heavy fire blowing out a window from the five-story, multiple dwelling and transmitted a 10-75 to the dispatcher.

When the Company arrived, they were the only unit on the scene. Fire was venting from the fire escape’s fourth-floor window. The outside team would be unable to enter the fire apartment and, more importantly, any occupants would be unable to escape via this route.

Fleeing occupants told Ladder 36’s forcible entry team that people were trapped above the fire. These members quickly ascended the stairs, but were stopped at the third-floor half-landing. The fire apartment’s door was open and fire had extended out and taken control of the public hallway.

Captain Monaghan radioed the outside team that there were people reported trapped above the fire and the fire condition in the hallway would delay him and the forcible entry team from their searches. He reminded them that it might be a while before the second-due Truck arrived and Ladder 36 would have to “pick up the floor above” assignment. FF Marley, Ladder 36’s Chauffeur, informed the Captain this was being done already.

FF Feffer, Ladder 36’s roof member, heard the Captain’s report while ascending the stairs of the adjoining building and knew that the roof would have to be vented immediately if the trapped victims were to have a chance for survival. When he arrived at the roof, FF Feffer quickly forced and chocked open the bulkhead door. He probed the landing for anyone who might have been overcome there. Without assistance, FF Feffer scaled the 12-foot bulkhead wall to vent the skylight, allowing heat, smoke and deadly gases to escape instead of banking down. FF Feffer’s fast actions allowed the forcible entry team to proceed up onto the fourth-floor hallway.

Captain Monaghan directed the can member, FF Brick, to use the water extinguisher to push and hold the fire back into the apartment. FF Brunner, the irons member, used the hook to try to close the door, thus confining the fire. He was successful in partially closing the door. The fire had control of the apartment from front to rear and no hose-line was in position on the fire floor, so entry into the apartment at that time was not an option.

With the second Truck not on-scene yet and a known life hazard upstairs, Captain Monaghan directed FF Brick to continue using the extinguisher to confine the fire, while he and FF Brunner went to the floor above to make a quick search. FF Brunner went to the apartment directly over the fire, while Captain Monaghan went to the adjacent apartment. FF Brunner searched the apartment and found two trapped occupants, Augusto Gomez, age 58, and his son, Giovanni, age 33. FF Brunner stayed and reassured the two men of their safety until the second Truck arrived.

Then, he passed off the father to the outside team who removed him via the aerial ladder. The son was removed via the second-due Truck’s forcible entry team. FF Brunner and Captain Monaghan both dropped back to the floor below where they rejoined FF Brick in making a primary search behind Engine 93’s advancing hose-line.

Ladder 36’s outside team--FFs Marley and King--set up the aerial ladder for immediate use. While on the turntable raising the ladder from its bed, FF Marley thought he saw something in a window on the floor above the fire. FF Marley placed the tip of the aerial to this closed window and FF King climbed up the ladder to investigate.

FF King pried open the closed window and found a family of four trapped in their apartment. He carried the youngest daughter down the ladder to FF Marley, who brought her to the street. FF King returned to the window to remove the other daughter. Again, he carried her part way and was met by FF Marley. FF King returned to the window and assisted the mother onto the ladder and removed her to the street. FF Marley ascended the ladder, passed them, went to the window and assisted the father onto the ladder and down to the street. All four victims were turned over to EMS personnel and transported to the hospital.

Performing as a single Company for quite some time at this fire, they performed the tasks of several Companies and truly operated as a team effecting the safe removal of six victims. For their actions, the Department is awarding Ladder Company 36 the Firefighter Thomas R. Elsasser Medal. —AP