Firefighter Erik M. Wiener of Ladder 111 Reunited for the First Time with Children Rescued in a 1996 Fire
May 12, 2016
On Thursday May 12, Firefighter Erik Wiener was reunited with Arif Wedderburn, a young man he rescued from a fire in Brooklyn twenty years earlier. The special reunion, which included Mr. Wedderburn’s family, was held at the quarters of Engine Company 214 and Ladder Company 111 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Firefighter Erik M. Wiener (retired in 2009) of Ladder Company 111 responded on May 7, 1996, along with his fellow firefighters and officers to a raging apartment fire in a high-rise building. Upon arrival, Firefighter Wiener heard screams and found then 16-year-old Yanique Livermore hanging upside-down outside the window of her fully engulfed 8th floor apartment. After rescuing Ms. Livermore, Firefighter Wiener returned to the apartment in order to locate then 3-year-old Arif Wedderburn, who was found unconscious between his bed and a wall. In rescuing Mr. Wedderburn and Ms. Livermore, Firefighter Wiener suffered second-degree burns to his back and lacerations requiring stitches on his forehead. In 1997 Firefighter Weiner received the Walter Scott Medal for his brave actions and quick thinking on that day.
“I’m not comfortable with being called ‘brave’,” said Firefighter Wiener. “I don’t think that what I did that night was brave. I was just being a professional. I was a professional Firefighter. It was always an honor to put the uniform on, and it’s still an honor today. I was never an individual. We came, we did what we do, and we left. We did our job.”
First Deputy Fire Commissioner Robert R. Turner, who served as Captain of Engine Company 214 from 1992 until 1999, attended today’s heartfelt reunion. “I was a Captain here at 214, as was my father, so it’s a very proud day for me to be here today to recognize Erik,” said Commissioner Turner. “You can see this is a very storied house with a lot of great tradition. It has always attracted motivated men and women to work here, and Erik is a fine example of what goes on in this firehouse. Everyone in this firehouse is here for the community; it’s their desire to be in a position like Erik, to be able to help.”
Mr. Wedderburn, now 23 years old, expressed his gratitude to Firefighter Weiner as he recalled the fire that almost claimed his life. “I woke up in the bedroom and the carpet was engulfed in fire. I started to cry, I didn’t know what to do. I tried to save my sister but I couldn’t get to her,” said Mr. Wedderburn. “Firefighter Wiener was an angel, he took me away and brought me out, and brought me back to life. He’s an angel sent from Heaven - him and other Firefighters who go out and risk their lives every single day. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him.”