FDNY Rescues Woman from Early Morning Fire in Queens
June 29, 2016
On Wednesday, June 29, FDNY members fought near-zero visibility conditions to locate an unconscious patient in a burning building in Queens.FDNY units were called at 8:14 a.m. to respond to a fire on Hempstead Avenue in Queens. As Engine Company 304 and Ladder Company 162 pulled out of their quarters, they could see billowing smoke in the distance. They arrived at the scene in minutes and immediately went to work.
Captain Gary Weinhofer of Ladder Company 162 led his team into the apartment to search for any trapped occupants. “There was no water on the fire yet, and the smoke was heavy,” said Captain Weinhofer. “It was incredibly hot in the apartment and the fire was rolling over our heads.”
Firefighter Jordan Salvador of Ladder Company 162 was using “the can,” a portable fire extinguisher filled with water, to fight back the flames as his fellow Firefighters began the search. Simultaneously, Firefighters from Engine Company 304 checked multiple fire hydrants to find a positive source of water to fight the fire. Additional units comprised of 60 Firefighters quickly joined them at the scene.
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“I found the patient in the bedroom, unconscious on the floor,” said Captain Weinhofer. Firefighters Salvador, Mark Smith (also of Ladder Company 162) and I lifted her and removed her to the hallway. EMS was able to begin patient care right away, Engine 304 had water on the fire, and we headed back inside to continue our search.”
When the patient was removed from the fire building, care was taken over by Emergency Medical Technicians from Long Island Jewish Medical Center and FDNY Paramedics.
Paramedic Chris Bossart, FDNY Station 54, says, “Our training kicked in. My partner, Paramedic Mike Loscalzo, and I have been on calls like this before and we knew exactly what to do. The patient had soot around her face and was unresponsive to any stimuli. We were able to intubate and bring her back to a stable state.”
The patient was transported to a local hospital in serious condition. FDNY members remained on scene and brought the fire under control with no further serious injuries.
FDNY Fire Marshals determined the fire was accidental, caused by unattended cooking on the stovetop in the kitchen. No working smoke alarms were found in the home.
“This was a dangerous fire and thanks to the efforts of every FDNY member who responded, the patient was successfully rescued and is recovering at the hospital. With no working smoke alarm in the home, this could have been a very different outcome,” said Deputy Chief George Healy.