Fire and EMS Members Save Families from Bronx Fire
EMT Andy Poliakoff describes how he and his partner, EMT Bruce Geiser, helped evacuate victims of a Bronx fire.
It's all about teamwork.
Firefighters and EMTs worked together on Feb. 9 to save families from an early morning fire in the Bronx.
"Everyone involved did an exceptional job," said Deputy Assistant Chief Kevin Butler, Bronx Borough Commander.
EMTs Andy Poliakoff from Station 55 and Bruce Geiser from Station 18 were passing by a building on Gilbert Place at around 5:20 a.m. when they said they heard screams and spotted fire coming from the windows of a third floor apartment.
They immediately reported the fire to dispatch and ran to help, notifying residents and helping evacuate victims. They located the fire apartment - of which the front door was left open - and did a quick search before they were driven out by the intense heat and flames.
The pair then returned outdoors as fire units began to arrive, helping victims evacuate via the fire escapes and carrying down a baby.
Fire Lt. Robert E. Lee, Ladder 42, describes how he and his team saved a woman in her 30s from a Bronx fire.
At the same time, Fire Lieutenant Robert E. Lee and Firefighters Chris Morgan and Thomas Morrison from Ladder 42 went inside the building to conduct a search. They found a woman in her 30s unconscious in the stairwell between the third and fourth floors.
She had no pulse and was not breathing. With help from members of Engine 71 and 73, they carried her down several flights of stairs and EMTs Poliakoff and Geiser worked on her.
She was transported to Lincoln Medical Center in serious but stable condition. She was later moved to Jacobi Medical Center's hypobaric chamber. She is expected to recover.
Fire and EMS members stressed that her injuries may have been prevented if the door to the fire apartment had been closed. Being left open enabled the stairway to act like a flue, driving heat and smoke into the stairwell and limiting escape by residents.
Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the fire, which injured nine civilians. They are looking into an unattended candle as the cause.
The FDNY wants to stress the importance of being fire safe. Never leave candles unattended and, if there is a fire in your home, always close the door behind you to contain the flames, heat and smoke.