Emerald Society Medal

Firefighter Stephen P. Duffy Ladder Company 16

January 31, 2005, 1624 hours, Box 8429, lower level of the 59th Street Bridge, Manhattan

Appointed to the FDNY on January 2, 2000. Previously assigned to Ladder 173. Member of the Emerald and Holy Name Societies. Attended West Virginia University. Recipient of two unit citations. Resides in Tarrytown, New York, with his wife, Kate.

New York City Firefighters routinely respond and act bravely in many situations not involving actual firefighting. Such was the case when Ladder 16, under the command of Lieutenant William Schneider, cleared their East 67th Street quarters on January 31, 2005, at 1624 hours.  

The Manhattan central office had reported a “jumper” on the Queensborough Bridge and first-due 16 Truck had the job of getting her down safely. Although their response was swift, heavy rush-hour traffic and motorists rubber-necking at mid-span seriously delayed their arrival at the incident. The rig was temporarily halted at the Queens-bound lower-level entrance.

FF Steve Duffy took the initiative and, after checking for halted traffic, exited the truck. He grabbed his hand tools, crossed over the traffic divider and across three westbound traffic lanes to the northern pedestrian bicycle lane. He then looked over the rail and saw an injured woman lying on a flimsy, temporary work platform suspended 20 feet below the bridge roadway toward mid-span. She had jumped from the roadway, intending to hit the water several hundred feet below. However, her fall was broken by this platform.

FF Duffy then received instructions to proceed east, further onto the bridge and attempt to access the platform and the injured victim. Traveling another 100 yards onto the bridge, he came upon a workman’s ladder chained to a bridge girder. He knew the rig was far away and the woman could, at any second, roll off the platform and plunge hundreds of feet to her death in the East River. Without hesitation and showing much initiative and capability, he freed the ladder and lowered it from the roadway to the swaying platform.

After securing the top of the ladder, he bravely descended to the rickety platform, followed by FF Joseph Buchanan, also of Ladder 16. The two members, with FF Duffy in the lead, then carefully inched their way toward the victim. There were numerous openings and breaches in the platform, causing a vertigo effect. One missed step could plunge FF Duffy from the swaying, unstable platform into the frigid river hundreds of feet below.

As they drew closer to the victim, the two Firefighters were faced with an injured person behaving erratically. FF Duffy realized she was an EDP (emotionally disturbed person), bent on suicide. To further complicate the situation, her lower extremities were precariously dangling off the edge of the platform.

Knowing that at any moment she could inflict further harm on herself or, at worst, on all three of them, FF Buchanan attempted to initiate verbal contact as a distraction. FF Duffy then moved to her blind side and grabbed her while she was suspended almost half off the platform, hundreds of feet above the river. He then restrained her and attempted to console her as he awaited the arrival of the rest of his company to stabilize the work area.

When help arrived, FF Duffy, assisted by FF Buchanan, began medical care for her injuries and also administered oxygen. The woman was showing signs of respiratory arrest and slipping in and out of consciousness as they packaged her and placed her in a stokes basket for lifting to the pedestrian roadway above. At this point, she was turned over to EMS after a job well-done.

For his valiant and successful lifesaving effort, FDNY is proud to award the Emerald Society Medal to FF Stephen P. Duffy.—GAA

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