Right place, right time
Franklin Township officers rescue woman
trapped in burning home
Franklin Township Local 154 members –
Officers Steven Ellmyer, Nick Gambino,
Brian Quigley, Walter Skrobowski and Deyo
Swartz – stretched their job descriptions
r
Valo
April 15 by rescuing a woman from a burnAWARDS
ing home.
“We arrived on scene and saw fire
coming out of the windows and the front of
the house was on fire,” Ellmyer said. “Then we were told by the
homeowner that her mother was still inside.”
Without any firefighter training and or the safety of fireresistant personal protective equipment (PPE), the officers
entered the inferno numerous times to locate and rescue the
trapped victim, facing overwhelming heat and heavy smoke conditions in the process.
“We finally made entry to the bedroom where she was
supposed to be, but we were unable to locate her initially,” Ellmyer
said.
LIFESAVING AWARD
OFFICER STEVEN ELLMYER
OFFICER NICK GAMBINO
OFFICER BRIAN QUIGLEY
OFFICER WALTER SKROBOWSKI
OFFICER DEYO SWARTZ
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP LOCAL 154
“We heard her screaming,” added Quigley. “All that was in my
mind was that there was no way we were going to let this woman
burn to death. We would do whatever it takes to get her out safely.”
That would prove to be easier said than done.
“We had to break the window to the room she was in, and as we
were trying to enter the room, she thought we were breaking in to
kidnap her,” Quigley recalled. “She knew the house was on fire,
but she thought the smoke was our distraction so we could kidnap
her.”
When Skrobowski attempted to remove the woman, she started
biting and fighting in a panicked frenzy. Undeterred, officers managed to remove her to safety, where she collapsed after realizing
they were there to save her.
The officers suffered smoke inhalation but were treated and
released as the fire department arrived on scene to extinguish the
blaze.
For their heroism in the line of fire, and unwillingness to let a
victim suffer burns or other injuries, the officers were recognized
with Lifesaving Awards by the NJ State PBA.
“It feels awkward to be honored among such great officers,”
admitted Quigley at the 2015 Valor Awards ceremony. “I’ve been
doing this job 10 years and I just do what I’m told to do. We were
simply in the right place at the right time.” d
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NEW JERSEY COPS
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DECEMBER 2015