Chief Joseph B. Martin Medal

Firefighter James F. Bert
Ladder Company 104

April 29, 2002, 2250 hours
Box 75-0216
195 Roebling Street, Brooklyn

Appointed to the FDNY on February 4, 1985. Previously assigned to Engine 221. Now a covering Lieutenant in Battalion 51, Division 13. Brother, FF Joseph Bert, is assigned to Engine 33. Cited for bravery three previous times. Attended Nassau Community College. Resides in Plainview, Long Island, with his wife, Donna, and their children, James, Charles, Lauren, Peter, Brian and Jillian, and granddaughter, Zoey.

On the night tour of April 29, 2002, at 2250 hours, Ladder 104 received an alarm via teleprinter for a fire at 195 Roebling Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. As the Company was responding, Brooklyn fire dispatchers notified units that they were receiving numerous phone calls indicating a working fire. Ladder 104 arrived in two minutes and found thick, black smoke issuing from windows on the fifth floor of the six-story apartment building, as residents were fleeing. Lieutenant Richard Rozycki of Ladder 104 transmitted a 10-75 via Department radio.

The Nunez family stops by the firehouse to offer their thanks to FF Bert for saving their lives. photo courtesy of Lieutenant James F. Bert

FF James F. Bert, assigned the outside vent position, assisted FF Charles Acker, Ladder 104’s Chauffeur, with the positioning of the rig and aerial ladder. FF Acker placed the ladder in front of the building to provide maximum coverage because there was no fire escape on this side. This proved to be a wise decision because a victim appeared at one of the front windows. FF Acker raised the aerial ladder to the fifth floor and FF Bert ascended the ladder.

The window had a heavy-duty child guard protecting it so FF Bert brought the lobster re-bar cutting tool with him to gain entry. At the window, the Firefighter found a 30-year-old man, Domingo Nunez, who was panicking because he and his three small children were trapped in the front bedroom. The child guard blocked their escape from the intense fire in the living room.

FF Bert knew he had to work quickly. He stood at the tip of the aerial ladder and used the tool to cut several iron bars holding the guard in place. The metal was thick and cutting through it was taking longer than expected. The thick smoke and heat from the fire were hampering FF Bert’s ability to accomplish this task from the unstable platform.

A handie-talkie transmission from Engine 221’s Chauffeur, FF Keeney, reported that there would be a delay in getting water to the hose-line due to a blocked hydrant adjacent to the fire building. Knowing that the lives of the four people trapped in that room depended on him, FF Bert was determined to accomplish his task.

He abandoned the lobster cutting tool for its lack of speed and positioned himself with a leg lock around the rung of the aerial ladder. While maintaining his balance, FF Bert grabbed the partially cut window guard with his two hands and, using his brute strength, pulled it off the building. FF Bert then reached into the window and grabbed eight-year-old Crystal Laureano and descended the ladder with her in one arm.

FF Acker met FF Bert halfway up the ladder and brought the girl down the rest of the way. FF Bert turned and climbed back up the ladder to the window. He found Mr. Nunez with two more of his young children by his side and the black smoke increasing around them. The victims were coughing and choking from the deadly smoke.

FF Bert knew there was no time to waste due to the deteriorating conditions, so he reached in and grabbed both children. FF Bert looked at the distraught father and saw he was in pain, suffering from burns. While cradling six-year-old Katherine Nunez in one arm and three-year-old James Nunez in the other arm, FF Bert stayed at the window to assist Mr. Nunez onto the aerial ladder. Once Mr. Nunez was safely on the ladder, FF Bert and the three fire victims started their descent to safety.

FF Bert stopped their movement down when they were a safe distance from the fire so FF Acker could meet them and take one of the children from FF Bert. Once down on the street, the fire victims’ care was turned over to FDNY EMS personnel.

Both FFs Bert and Acker again climbed the aerial ladder and entered the same window to search for any other possible victims. Thankfully, this search yielded negative results.

Mr. Nunez and his children were taken to Woodhull Hospital where they received treatment for smoke inhalation. Mr. Nunez also was treated for second- and third-degree burns on his hands and feet.

In a show of their appreciation, Mr. Nunez and his family stopped by the Southside Firehouse to thank FF Bert and the other members for saving their lives. Mr. Nunez told FF Bert that from now on, he would prefer to live on the ground floor. The experience of fleeing a burning building by aerial ladder is something he hopes never to do again. FF Bert’s tenacity and aggressiveness led to the Nunez family’s survival. This is why FF James F. Bert is proudly awarded the Chief Joseph B. Martin Medal. —AP