Thomas F. Dougherty Medal

Firefighter Joseph J. Tarantini , Ladder Company 138

December 15, 2004, 0244 hours, Box 22-7889, 37-52 89th Street, Queens

Appointed to the FDNY on September 14, 1996. Member of the Columbia Association. Recipient of two unit citations; the Firefighter Thomas R. Elsasser Memorial Medal; the WTC Ribbon/Medal; and a Class III rating for this incident. Attended St. John’s University and air conditioning and heating trade school. He resides in Whitestone, Queens, with his wife, Diane, and their sons, Phillip and Ryan, and daughter, Alyssa.

On December 15, 2004, on a cold night in the middle of the Christmas season, Queens Box 7889 was received for a fire at 35-43 88th Street in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights. The assigned companies initially went to that address, but it turned out to be incorrect. The fire was actually in a six-story multiple dwelling at 37-52 89th Street.

Ladder Co. 138, the “Corona Tigers,” arrived as the second-due truck with FF Joseph J. Tarantini assigned the irons position for the tour. The delay, caused by receiving the wrong address, allowed the fire, which started in apartment 2F on the second floor, to involve the apartment and also extend out into the public hallway. The wind-driven fire was able to extend past the chocked-open fire door in the middle of the hallway.

Ladder 138’s can Firefighter, FF Brian Cullen, was directed to assist FF Dan Bocian, the can Firefighter of Ladder Co. 136, in an attempt to push the extending fire back beyond the fire door. Using their extinguishers in tandem, the two can Firefighters were able to push the fire back enough to allow Ladder 136’s Officer, Lieutenant Ed Ireland, to control and then close the fire door.

While these actions granted some protection to the “A” stairway, which the members were about to ascend, closing the fire door also had the effect of channeling even more of the heat, smoke and flames up the “B” stairway. The conditions on the floor above the fire were extreme. The “A” stairway was at the far end of the hallway from the fire apartment and the “B” stairway was closer to the fire apartment.

As the second-due truck, Ladder 138 members made their way to the floor above. As FF Tarantini crawled down the third-floor hallway, he was in a seriously exposed position. The fire was roaring in the fire apartment and hallway below, a hose-line was not in place to offer any protection and the fire doors in the hallway were chocked open. Additionally, the fire began to auto-expose from apartment 2F into apartment 3F on the third floor.

As FF Tarantini was crawling down the hallway, he was met by FF Cullen, who was crawling back toward FF Tarantini with an unconscious and burned man. FF Tarantini took the victim from FF Cullen and carried him down to the second floor, where he passed him off to another Firefighter. FF Tarantini then returned to the third floor and once again, began crawling down the hallway, which still had a high heat condition and was charged with heavy smoke. A hand-line still was not in position to attack the fire.

While conducting his search, FF Tarantini discovered the unconscious, seven-year-old Naomi Siquencia. He crawled back to the top of the stairs, where he placed the child over his shoulder and carried her down three flights of stairs and out into the street. He passed her off to members who were reporting to the scene. The young girl was transported to the Cornell Burn Center.

Once the child was out of harm’s way, FF Tarantini again returned to the top of the stairs at the third-floor hallway, where he was met by a Firefighter dragging an unconscious adult. FF Tarantini took this victim, placed him over his shoulder and carried him down three flights of stairs and out into the street where he handed him off to the engine company members who had been directed to assist with the numerous civilian victims. FF Tarantini then went back to the third floor and rejoined the other members of Ladder 138.

For his bravery and determination in personally removing a young child and assisting in the removal of two other victims from the floor above a roaring and smoky fire, FF Joseph J. Tarantini is presented with the Thomas F. Dougherty Medal today.—NG