Members Aboard the Fireboat 'Bravest' Save Man in East River
The fireboat Bravest and Firefighter Barney Duffy.
Just days after it was put into service, firefighters aboard the new fireboat Bravest rescued a man in the East River on July 10.
"Everybody did their jobs and did a great job," said Capt. Louis Guzzo. "It was a good feeling."
Members of Marine 6 - including Capt. Guzzo and Firefighters Pete Demetropolis, Barney Duffy, Bill Hannan, Jim Mare and Gene Nickola - were called to the scene of a person in the East River, near 23rd Street, at around 7:30 p.m.
They quickly made their way to the area. Capt. Guzzo added, "We were able to make a much quicker response because of the speed of the new boat."
As they made their way up the river, Firefighter Duffy donned the mustang suit - a wetsuit that also is buoyant.
Firefighters on land were on scene when the boat arrived and helped direct the members aboard the fireboat to the victim, who was slipping below the surface of the water.
Since the closest rescuers were still a large distance from the victim, Firefighter Hannan carefully piloted the boat into position, about 30 feet away from the victim.
Then Firefighter Duffy jumped into the water, with the help of Firefighters Nikola and Mare on the tether.
"He looked like a torpedo, he didn't hesitate at all," Capt. Guzzo said of Firefighter Duffy. "I couldn't believe how quickly he got to him."
The victim was lucid and not combative, so the firefighters on board the Bravest were able to easily pull them to the boat. They then used a swim platform to easily get onto the boat - a feature that was not available on previous vessels.
Once they ensured everyone was out of the water and safe, they moved the fireboat toward the shoreline and passed the victim to EMS members waiting at the 23rd Street Marina. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital.
Capt. Guzzo noted that this incident was just part of an eventful day for the members of the Bravest. Earlier in the day, the members were called to stand by at a two-alarm fire on Riker's Island. Then soon after this incident, the firefighters helped more than 400 passengers stranded aboard a party boat that lost power on the East River near the Williamsburg Bridge.
"It was a busy day," Capt. Guzzo said. "But it was an exciting day and brought up the enthusiasm for the boat even more."