The Bravest of Ladder Company 155 and Engine Company 308 in south Jamaica truly lived up to the Fire Department’s reputation on Wednesday when they helped save a man’s life during a blaze at a neighborhood home.
Members of the units based on Rockaway Boulevard rushed to the residence on 140th Street near 133rd Avenue at about 1:36 p.m. on Oct. 26. According to firefighter Gerard McManus of Ladder 155, firefighters could see plumes of black smoke billowing from the home two blocks before they arrived on scene.
Upon arrival, the firefighters saw flames and heavy smoke throughout the structure. McManus, in search of potentially trapped residents, went to the rear of the home and forced through two rear doors to get inside.
Encountering heavy smoke upon entering the kitchen, McManus — breathing through an oxygen mask — began searching the area, feeling his way through the home before finding the unconscious man in the dining room.
“When I made my way into the dining room, I felt a foot, immediately transmitted a 10-45 (call for assistance for an injured victim) and pulled him out the way I came in,” McManus said in a post on the Fire Department’s Facebook page.
Upon getting the man out of the home, McManus handed him off to Engine 308 members, who began administering CPR. Paramedics from Station 50 then arrived at the location and continued the CPR work that the engine company members began, eventually reviving the man.
The injured man was rushed to a local hospital with burns and smoke inhalation, and is now listed in stable condition, Fire Department sources said.
For Lieutenant Brendan Corrigan of Ladder 155, it was all in a day’s work for the team of lifesavers.
“You practice like you play and we drill constantly,” Corrigan said. “What we did here today is what we train for every day. The guys all knew their jobs and performed exceptionally well.”
The blaze was brought under control at 2:52 p.m., and the cause is under investigation.
