1/21/2005
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Captain Gregg Harris |
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22 FIREFIGHTERS RECOGNIZED AT BANQUET
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Jan. 21, 2005) - Five firefighters were presented the Medal of Merit at the Indianapolis Fire Department's annual Awards Banquet.
The five were among 22 firefighters and three civilians honored at the tonight's banquet held in the Indiana Roof Ballroom. Fire Chief James Greeson and Safety Director Robert Turner made the presentations.
Lt. Ken Bacon from Ladder 22, and firefighters Brian Hammett, Phil Kibler and Chappie Watkins responded to an alarm early in the summer to an apartment fire. They had been advised someone might be trapped.
Upon arrival, they found a front room and the kitchen in flames. Neighbors said the victim could be in an adjacent bedroom. The four entered the bedroom through a window.
While searching the room in heavy smoke, Kibler located a victim between a bed and a closet. As other firefighters were attacking the fire, Kibler, Hammett and Watkins lifted the victim over the bed. Lt. Bacon, recently appointed a captain, assisted in getting the man out the window.
For their efforts, the four firefighters were awarded the Medal of Merit.
Lt. James McCormack was also awarded the Medal of Merit for his efforts in rescuing a man from a burning house. McCormack entered a bedroom through a window to search for a victim.
After locating an unconscious man, McCormack was joined by Lt. Steve Dillman. The two firefighters worked together to get the man out the same window they had entered.
They were joined by additional firefighters and the still breathing victim was removed from the burning structure. For his work, Lt. Steven Dillman was awarded the Certificate of Merit.
Engineer Donald Duncan Jr. and Firefighter Mike Scott from Engine and Ladder 14, C-Shift, received the fire department Unit Commendation for their work in removing a victim from an apartment building fire.
Eng. Duncan was at a three-story apartment building fire doing a search for possible victims. Duncan became separated from his partner and as he was searching an apartment on the north side of the building, he found an unconscious victim.
Pvt. Scott was also searching for victims in the area when he encountered Duncan attempting to remove the victim he had located. The two firefighters took the victim outside and were assisted by a third firefighter in moving the victim away from the burning structure.
A Unit Commendation went to Donald Dyer, Tony Head and David Posey of Engine 10, A-shift, for rescuing a woman from a burning house after finding her under a mattress. Dyer and Head found the victim during a search and were met by Posey as they were removing the victim.
Captain Jack Cassaday and firefighters David Decker and Rena Wheeler of Engine 22, C-Shift, were awarded Unit Commendations for rescuing an unconscious person from the same apartment building where Duncan and Scott had rescued a victim.
As the trio advanced a hand line in a hallway with zero visibility and rising heat, Decker found a victim. Leaving the hand line, the three carried the victim outside. Decker stayed with the breathing victim until medics arrived and Cassaday and Wheeler returned to the hand line to extinguish the fire with the assistance of another crew.
Lt. John Scott and firefighter Julie Ferguson of Engine 23, C-Shift, were cited for their work in removing a victim from a house fire on the near north side. Scott and Ferguson advanced a hand line into the single-story house. Before entering the house, a resident told them her husband was still inside.
After knocking down the fire in one room, the two made their way into a second where they found a man lying on the floor. They carried the victim outside to a waiting medic unit. Scott and Ferguson were also awarded a Unit Commendation.
Another Unit Commendation went to Scott Huff and Keith Rhem of Engine 14, C-Shift, for rescuing a dazed and confused occupant from a burning three-story apartment building.
Upon arrival at the apartment building firefighters found a fire in the center of the first floor and heard cries for help coming from windows of the upper floors. As ladder companies put up ladder to rescue the upper floor victims, Huff and Rhem entered the building from the south end with a hose line.
Inside in the extremely hot and smoky hallway, they found another victim. Huff escorted the victim out to safety and then returned to assist Rhem attack the fire.
Captain Richard Coffin, a 36-year IFD veteran assigned to Engine 10, C-Shift, has been an active adult Boy Scouts leader for more than 20 years. He schedules his vacations around various scouting activities and spends many weekends leading camping trips around Indiana.
He spent 10 days this past summer as a Medical Officer for the White Stag Camp that teaches teen age scouts leadership skills.
Captain Coffin serves as troop treasurer, was elected a commissioner for his district and serves on the Round Table Council. A recipient of the Crossroads Council highest award - the Silver Beaver Award, Coffin has helped several young men to become Eagle Scouts. For his community work, Coffin was awarded the IFD Public Service award.
Peer leadership awards went to Steven Conway, A-shift, Engineer Patrick Mescall, B-Shift, and Mark Moorman, C-Shift.
Steven Foster, Tim O'Brien and Suzy Williams were presented the IFD Citizen's Commendation for rescuing a couple from their burning near Butler University in December.
Chief Greeson with O'Brien, Foster and Williams and Public Safety Director Turner
Foster heard a "boom" from the house next door and saw his neighbor's house was on fire. As the smoke was building up, Foster entered the house and found one victim. He took the victim outside through the kitchen door. Once outside, Williams stayed with the victim until help arrived
O'Brien was passing by and saw the fire. He stopped and joined Foster in re-entering the smoke filled house and the two removed the second victim.
Twenty 2004 retirees were honored along with nine firefighters serving in the United States Military.
The retirees were William Altre, Albert Baskerville, Michael Baskerville, Ronald Bowman, Joseph Brosnan, James Burkeen, Salvator Burrello, Charles Eichelman, Stephen Gillette and John Gregory.
Other retirees were William Harold, Kark Huebner, Michael Irwin, Harry Jones, Joseph Kraeszig, Richard Menchhofer, John Noone, Timothy Pace, Clyde Pfisterer and Antonio Rosa.
Military personnel honored were Christopher Bertrand, Thomas Farrington, Terry Hansome, Lance Langsford, Nathan Miller, Eric Simmons, William Stewart, John Vaughns and Christopher Williams
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