Montclair's Finest: Local Firefighters Earn ‘Valor Awards’

MONTCLAIR, NJ — When the 200 Club of Essex County hosts its 51st “Valor Awards” ceremony in Belleville on May 4, there will literally be dozens of heroes in the room. This year, the annual awards - designed to honor the inspiring acts of courage that define the county’s emergency responders – include seven local law enforcement officers and 34 firefighters.

The contingent of heroes includes several Montclair firefighters this year.

“The job of a police officer or firefighter is tougher today than ever before,” stated Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, a member of The 200 Club’s board of trustees. “Law enforcement and firefighting are extremely hazardous professions which are performed at tremendous personal risk.”

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Here’s what earned these Montclair firefighters their 2017 awards, according to the 200 Club of Essex County:

"The initial alarm on December 3, 2016 was received via the Essex County Fire Radio, and subsequently was dispatched to the Montclair Fire Department for reports of a man trapped underneath an oil tank in the yard of 26 Linden Ave. While the Montclair Fire Department is trained and equipped for both confined space and trench rescue operations, this incident presented unique challenges.

"Initial conditions were that one adult male was pinned inside of and along the sidewall of a buried 330 gallon empty fuel oil tank in the front yard next to a retaining wall for the driveway of a single family detached home. During the tank removal operation, the victim had been using a gas powered metal cutting circular saw inside of the tank while attempting to dismantle it. The soil on the opposite side of the tank collapsed due to several inches of recent rainfall, and this caused the tank to give way where the victim had been cutting.

"This cut area created a compromised section of the metal side wall which folded in due to the soil collapse, and this trapped the victim inside the tank. He was covered with dirt up to his chest area and he could not feel his legs. He had soil, mud and the metal tank entrapping him five feet below grade level. When dealing with a victim who is faced with crush syndrome, time is critical.

"Lt. Sweeney was assigned as Operations Officer and Capt. Chris Russo assumed command as the Safety Officer as rescue efforts began. The firefighters carried out their initial assigned tasks of patient assessment, stabilization of the soil pile, air monitoring inside the tank and getting the rescue equipment staged.

"Montclair Chief of Department John Herrmann arrived as did Deputy Essex County Fire Coordinator Millburn Battalion Chief James Boyle. Chief Boyle has extensive training in various rescue disciplines and he was assigned as a technical advisor to the Operations Officer.

"Due to the nature of the confined space entrapment within the trench, traditional trench rescue techniques could not utilized. Further complicating the situation, the victim lost consciousness due to the weight of the tank and trench wall on his chest. Members of Group 3 were quickly able to deploy multiple air bags to relieve the pressure and the victim regained consciousness.

"Using various techniques the victim was finally removed after being buried for 1 ½ hours and transferred to University Hospital. Also assisting in the rescue were the Cedar Grove and North Caldwell Fire Departments, Montclair Police, Montclair Ambulance Unit and the Atlantic Hospital paramedics.

"This rescue was truly a group effort which could not have been accomplished without the skill, expertise, and professionalism of all the Montclair Officers and Firefighters, as well as Deputy Essex County Fire Coordinator and Millburn Battalion Chief James Boyle."

ESSEX COUNTY VALOR AWARD WINNERS

The 2017 Valor Award recipients include:

• East Orange Police Officers Christopher Kyer and Segundo Marquez for “the capture of an armed suspect”
• Millburn Police Detective Lieutenant David Bonney for “the rescue of an eight-year-old autistic boy who fell into the Rahway River”
• Millburn Fire Department Captain Christopher Beady and Firefighter Edgar Echavarria for “the high-angle rooftop rescue of an emotionally distraught eight-year-old boy with functional challenges from a residential fire”
• Newark Police Lieutenant Darrell White and Essex County Sheriff’s Detective Abdullah Holmes for “the capture of an armed murder suspect”
• Newark Firefighter Jeremy Larena for “the rescue of an unconscious male victim from a residential fire”
• Newark Fire Captains Carl Carpenter and Helder Fonseca, and Firefighters Kevin Daniel, Ivan Encarnacion, Jerome Fernandes, Louis Maisonave, Carlos Martinez and Hilton Reynolds for “the rescue of three adults, an infant and a dog from a residential fire”
• Several Montclair Firefighters and Millburn Fire Battalion Chief James Boyle for “the trench rescue of a male victim who became entombed when a residential oil tank and its support dirt walls collapsed on him during their removal” (Montclair honorees include Fire Chief John Herrmann, Battalion Chief Greg Murray, Captain Chris Russo, Lieutenants Anthony Acocella, John Grapes, Dave Hill, Bill Morrison and Kevin Sweeney and Firefighters Scott Bowman, Sebastian Covello, Adam Duchinsky, Keith Ferenz, John Fierro, Chris Herrmann, Dave Jones, Artie Karydes, C. J. Miller, Kevin Palek, Kurt Reinhardt, Bill Roth, Jeffrey Testa and Levar Washington
• Essex County Prosecutor’s Detectives Rashaan Johnson and Phillip Read for “the capture of two armed suspects”

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