Trooper Hare Honored as Community Hero

Oxford Resident Trooper First Class David Hare didn't have time to think when he came across a burning house at an Oxford residence on Jan. 31, 2010. He just reacted.

He entered the home with Trooper First Class Cory Genetski and located the owner, who was fighting heavy flames with a small fire extinguisher in the basement. The troopers pulled the man from the house, and Hare then searched for more people and potential hazards.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a 20-pound propane tank lying on the floor and leaking propane gas vapor into the burning basement. Hare rushed to the hazard, lifted the heavy tank and threw it outside the basement door into the snow-covered backyard.

"It was just a reaction," said Hare, who was honored for his bravery last week with a 2011 Community Heroes of Western Connecticut award sponsored by the American Red Cross and presented by Wells Fargo. "We are taught that you don't freeze up, you have to react in some way. ...I'm glad we have that training, because if I had not reacted, it would have caused a catastrophic explosion."

When it was all said and done, the homeowner sustained heavy burns but lived. He was the only person injured.

Fire personnel credited Hare and Genetski with saving the man's life and the total loss of the home. 

Following the incident, Resident Trooper Sgt. Dan Semosky, Hare's immediate supervisor, said Hare - who has been a trooper for 10 years, almost six in Oxford - deserves to be recognized for his life-saving actions.

Semosky nominated Hare for a . He also brought the issue to the attention of First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers, who nominated Hare for the award he received last week and presented it to him at the ceremony.

In a program given out at least week's event, Drayton-Rogers is quoted as saying, "The quick response and timely actions of TFC David Hare and TFC Cory Genetski were at great risk to their own safety and were instrumental in saving the lives of the homeowners, and were in the highest tradition of the Connecticut State Police." Drayton-Rogers also stated in a news release that she is extremely proud of Hare.

Hare, who lives in Middlebury, was presented the award in front of his wife, Rebecca, and their three children. It was them whom Hare said he thought of when he had time to reflect on his actions on that fateful night. 

"I'm always thinking about the safety of the residents and my own safety," he said. "I have a family, I have kids and I have a professional and personal obligation to act in these situations."