Uniformed Fire Officers Association Medal

Captain John C. Rice Division 14 (assigned), Ladder Company 163 (detailed)

January 15, 2005, 1945 hours, Box 7322, 41-41 51st Street, Woodside, Queens

Appointed to the FDNY on March 15, 1986. Previously assigned to Tower Ladders 115 and 17 and Engine 91. Brother, Gerald T. Rice, is assigned to Ladder 128. Member of the Steuben Association and the Emerald and Holy Name Societies. Attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Recipient of a Service Rating A. Resides in Long Beach, Long Island.

A frequently heard phrase in discussions among New York City Firefighters is that which describes “bread and butter operations.” Ladder companies position themselves for roof access and conduct routine entry and search operations. Engine companies stretch hose-lines and accomplish rapid extinguishment. Operations proceed smoothly and efficiently.

However, the fact of the matter is that such responses--though easily visualized--are few and far between. Such was the case in the evening of January 15, 2005, in the Woodside section of northern Queens. Ladder 163, led by Captain John Rice, proved themselves up to the task of a challenging response that demanded initiative, rapid action and courage.

The teleprinter in quarters activated at 1945 hours. Response information on the ticket indicated that Engine 325 and Ladder 163 were first-due at a reported fire in a third-floor apartment at the address of 41-41 51st Street. Both companies arrived rapidly. 

Captain Rice, a 20-year veteran of the FDNY and a seasoned ladder company Officer who was detailed to Ladder 163, immediately recognized the structure as possessing unusual characteristics.

Specifically, this was a large-area, H-type edifice with wings that stacked front to rear, rather than the more typical side-to-side configuration. The implications of this condition--including difficulty in accessing the fire apartment and arduous, time-consuming hose stretches--were clear to Captain Rice.

Captain Rice and Ladder 163 FFs Nick Gonzalez (forcible entry) and Stephen Carron (extinguisher) entered the building and proceeded to the third floor. The apartment of concern, rapidly identified as apartment 3M, was located in the rear-most wing of the building. Conditions in the third-floor hallway included a moderate smoke condition despite the closed apartment door. 

Captain Rice determined that an advanced fire existed within the apartment, transmitted a 10-75 and notified Battalion Chief Brian White, Battalion 45, of existing conditions. He then ensured that Captain James McDermott (detailed to Engine 325) and other units on the scene were aware of the apartment location.

Fully cognizant of the 12-length hose-line “stretch” required to reach the fire apartment and aware of the risk associated with entry without hose-line protection, Captain Rice nonetheless determined that delay was unthinkable. His decision was based on the potential for victims within the apartment and pressurized smoke emanating from the apartment door. Instinct told him that survival time within the apartment was severely limited.

The Captain led FFs Gonzalez and Carron into the apartment and immediately encountered high heat and zero visibility conditions. Time constraints associated with rapidly deteriorating conditions, including a detectable increase in ambient temperatures, were amplified by the presence of an unusual amount of clutter and debris throughout the apartment.

Search of the living room proved negative. Progressing deeper into the apartment, Captain Rice was forced by the heat to a prostrate position. Despite the adverse environment and with great personal fortitude, Captain Rice proceeded down the apartment hallway and encountered a doorway that he suspected opened into a bedroom.  Extending an arm and sweeping, he felt the legs of a victim who had been overcome by the smoke in the room of fire origin--the occupant of the apartment, Mrs. Phyllis Cutillo. He proceeded to pull Mrs. Cutillo from the bedroom and transmitted the 10-45 signal.

Simultaneously, Captain McDermott entered the fire apartment and, in response to the 10-45 signal, assisted Captain Rice in removing the victim to the third-floor hallway. Recognizing the advancing fire as a growing threat, FF Carron employed the extinguisher to protect the retreating Officers and prevent extension into the apartment hallway. Captains Rice and McDermott passed the victim off to a CFR-D engine company in the third-floor hallway.

Captain John Rice operated with calculated disregard for his personal safety to save the life of another. His courage and efforts are duly recognized with the Uniformed Fire Officers Association Medal.—JF

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