Braintree Firefighters Honored At Firefighter Of The Year Awards

BRAINTREE, MA — Three members of the Braintree Fire Department are being honored for a water tower rescue that saved the life of one person.

Lieutenant James Lochiatto, Firefighter Mark McCabe, Firefighter Keith Walsh were all given a citation at Tuesday's Firefighter of the Year ceremony for a technical rescue at the water tower on Lincoln Street.

On Dec. 15, 2016, the crew from Engine 3 found a man at the tower frantically calling for help. Without proper safety equipment readily available, Lochiatto and Walsh climbed to the top and discovered two people inside the tank in 75 feet of water. The diver was unresponsive and his co-worker, a spotter, had jumped in without the proper gear, and was holding him. The 14-year-old boy who called for help was also suffering from a panic attack and hypothermia.

After getting the boy to safety, firefighters determined that the recuse mission for the diver was now a recovery mission. The three stayed on scene for approximately 18 hours until the diver was recovered.

The conditions that day were frigid with 45 mph winds and temperatures as low as 3 degrees. It was later learned that the teenage boy was the son of the diver, David Scott of Texas, who also had a nine-year-old daughter.

Because the tragedy was avoidable, Braintree Fire officials have asked legislators to file legislation requiring notification to local fire departments of confined space work being done either above or below ground.

In total, 33 awards were presented to various fire departments.

Click here to read more about the rescue effort.

Information in this article was provided by the state Department of Fire Services.

Image: File Photo