Contact: Colleen Roche/Matthew Higgins (212) 788-2958
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today honored the New York City firefighters who last Sunday braved rising flood waters in a basement apartment in Springfield Gardens, Queens to save a trapped tenant from drowning.
During a torrential downpour on January 3rd, firefighters from Ladder Company 158 waded chest deep through water to reach a basement door forced shut by a surging flood. By the time they pried open the door, the tenant was within minutes of drowning and the firefighters were immersed from the neck down in water. The firefighters then took hold of the tenant, swam to the stairs and led her to safety.
"These heroic firefighters acted without hesitation and with little regard for their own safety to rescue this tenant from drowning in her own apartment," Mayor Giuliani said at a City Hall ceremony, where he was joined by First Deputy Fire Commissioner William M. Feehan and Acting Chief of Department Peter Ganci. "This is yet another example of how firefighters do much more than fight fires -- they are always on the front lines in any life-threatening emergency and they always rise to the occasion, as these courageous firefighters did last week in flash flood conditions."
Fire Department Commissioner Thomas Von Essen said, "Whether putting their lives on the line, fighting a fire or other emergencies or disasters, New York's firefighters are always prepared to meet any challenges that confront them. These members exemplify the true spirit of the New York City Fire Department and its commitment to the citizens of New York City."
Members of Ladder Company 158 who were honored at the ceremony were Lieutenant Hank Bringe and Firefighters Ed Costigan, Bill Dick, Tim Jones, Dennis McSweeney and Chris Meyer.
The powerful storm that hit New York City on January 3rd dropped approximately four inches of rain over several hours in the thirty-block area of Springfield Gardens.