28 New York-Area Police, Fire Dept. and Citizen Heroes Honored for Lifesaving Water Rescues
New York, NY, April 11, 2006 -- The Life Saving Benevolent Association (LSBA) today honored 28 New York and New Jersey police officers, firefighters, emergency services personnel, and citizens for their heroic lifesaving water rescues.
Klaus G. Dorfi, president of the LSBA and chairman and CEO of Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co., honored the award recipients today at a ceremony at the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey at 241 Water St., New York. Among the dignitaries attending the event were Deputy Chief Paul Cresci and Battalion Chief James Dalton of the New York City Fire Department, and Assistant Chief Charles Kammerdener of the New York City Police Department.
"The Life Saving Benevolent Association has honored the lifesaving efforts of more than 1,000 police officers, firefighters and civilians since 1850," Dorfi noted. "There is a need for heroism in every age. Today, we honor 28 individuals, including our youngest recipient ever, a six-year old girl, who deserve our thanks and admiration for their deeds."
The awards carry on a tradition begun in 1849, when the New York legislature granted a request from New York ship owners, merchants and insurers -- including Atlantic Mutual, a 153-year supporter -- to charter the Life Saving Benevolent Association. The association established 26 lifesaving stations at five-mile intervals along the Long Island and New Jersey shorelines. (These stations were eventually taken over by what became the U.S. Coast Guard.)
In addition to recognizing and rewarding courage in the rescue of human life at sea or on navigable waters, the LSBA contributes to non-profit organizations that promote maritime safety, including: New York Maritime College, State University of New York, Maritime Scholarship Endowment Fund, the Maine Maritime Academy, and the Seamen's Church Institute.
The heroic individuals and the lifesaving rescues for which they are being honored are described below.
Firefighter Patrick J. O'Grady of the NYC Fire Department Engine 9: At 8:30 p.m. on April 14, 2004, Engine 9 responded to a call that a man was in the East River at the South St. and Rutgers Slip. Firefighter O'Grady saw the victim 25 feet away from the seawall, gasping and crying out for help after 15 minutes in the 40-degree water. Lowered into the water by colleagues, Firefighter O'Grady swam in a strong current to the victim and used the cross-body carry to bring the victim to the bulkhead. There he tried to place a life ring around the victim, but the victim slipped below the surface. Firefighter O'Grady brought him to the surface and, with assistance from other firefighters, lifted him to safety. The victim was placed in police custody and taken by Emergency Medical Service to Bellevue Hospital for treatment of hypothermia. Firefighter O'Grady was treated there for hypothermia, a bruised right shoulder and exposure to biological contamination.
Officers Francis H. Vitale and Michael Egan, both of the NYC Police Department SCUBA team: At 11 a.m. on October 18, 2004, NYPD Aviation Unit 12 responded to a United States Coast Guard call of a sinking 27-foot boat with three men aboard off the New Jersey shore. Within minutes, Aviation 12 helicopter arrived and began a search pattern, which resulted in locating the victims, clinging to debris, 23 miles east of Asbury Park, NJ. Divers Egan and Vitale, wearing dry suits, jumped into the 60-degree water where they assisted the victims onto a lifeboat dropped from the helicopter. The victims were flown to Floyd Bennett Field and then taken by a New York Fire Department ambulance to Beth Israel Hospital, where they were treated for hypothermia and released. Aviation Unit 14 retrieved the divers shortly after Aviation Unit 12 departed.
Private citizen Leif J. Ulversoy, Denville, NJ: At 3 p.m. on January 20, 2005, Leif had just started to walk up his driveway after school when he heard a faint cry. Hearing it again, he crossed the street toward Cedar Lake where he saw a 62-year-old man in the cold water. Leif removed his sweatshirt, grabbed a surfboard and walked out 20 feet on the ice. Hearing the ice cracking, he put the surfboard between his legs and, pushing on the ice with his feet, scooted toward the man. More ice cracked. So, Leif turned around, went to a nearby shed for a life ring and ran back to the scene. He saw a local police officer had thrown a rope out to the victim, but it was too short. The two rescuers tied their ropes together. From his surfboard, Leif threw the life ring several times before the victim was able to catch it with a ski pole and pull it within his grasp. Leif and the police officer then pulled the victim to shore with help from neighbors and local fire department personnel. Emergency Medical Service personnel checked the victim before the police drove him home.
Firefighter Michael F. Schunk of the NYC Fire Department: At 9 p.m. on a cold February 4, 2005 night, Firefighter Schunk's Rescue Company 1 of the Fire Department's Special Operations Command received an alarm about two people in the Hudson River at West 35th Street. Because of Company 1's quick arrival, Firefighter Schunk had time only to don a dry suit. Without any rescue equipment, he jumped 15 feet from the bulkhead into the water and swam around pilings to reach the man. He then swam the victim and raised him up to Fire and Police Department personnel on the pier. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for his injuries. The second victim, a woman, had been removed from the water before Rescue Company 1 arrived.
Officer John Kenny of the NYC Police Emergency Service Unit: At 5: 30 p.m. on a cold February 17, 2005, Officer Kenny and his partner responded to a call to rescue a dog in danger of drowning inside the icy Central Park Lake at 72nd Street. When they arrived the dog was struggling to get out of the lake as another man was crawling on the ice toward him. Using an ice rescue ladder and a life ring tethered to shore, Officer Kenny made his way to the dog when the ice suddenly broke. Officer Kenny grabbed both the dog and the other would-be rescuer and signaled his partner to pull all of them to shore. Officer Kenny was taken to Saint Luke's Roosevelt Hospital for treatment for exposure and possible hypothermia. The dog was returned to its owner in good condition.
Firefighter Sean Parker of the NYC Fire Department's Rescue 4: At 6:07 a.m. on March 31, 2005, Rescue 4 was dispatched to the East River at 18th Street for a missing male. With a moderate to strong current in 38- to 45-degree water and poor visibility, Firefighter Parker, wearing a dry suit and standard SCUBA equipment, swam 25 feet in the water where he dived and quickly located the victim face down on the river bottom, 25 feet below the surface. Firefighter Parker secured the victim and brought him to the surface. The victim was placed in a floating basket lowered by NYPD Marine 6 boat, whose crew immediately started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. He was transported to Emergency Service personnel at the East River at 23rd Street.
Officer John Barsi (deceased) of the Yonkers, New York, Police Department: At 9:18 a.m. on May 10, 2005, Officer Barsi responded to a radio call that a woman had jumped into the Hudson River at the City Pier. He discovered a 21-year-old woman screaming that she wanted to die. After several unsuccessful attempts to throw a life ring to the victim, Officer Barsi obtained a life vest and, at great risk, jumped into the river and swam to the woman. By that time, the victim was being pulled out farther by the current. When the officer reached her, she repeated that she didn't want to be rescued and fought with him, submerging both of them. After releasing the woman, Officer Barsi rose to the surface followed by the woman. This time he was able to gain control and take her to waiting medical personnel on shore. She was driven to a local hospital, treated for hypothermia, and held for psychiatric evaluation.
Firefighter John E. Cashman of the NYC Fire Department Marine Company 1: At 9 a.m. on June 11, 2005, Firefighter Cashman's company responded to a report of a person in distress in the Hudson River, off the 79th Street boat basin. As the rescue boat searched the area, a man surfaced, thrashing, before quickly submerging again about 200 yards south of the boat basin. The boat moved to that location, and Firefighter Cashman, wearing an ice rescue suit, dove into the cold, 20-foot-deep water. He found the victim and brought him to the surface where the victim became combative and resisted efforts to take him to safety. The emotionally disturbed victim tried to strike the firefighter when he again approached. The victim and Firefighter Cashman were now suffering from fatigue and hypothermia in the swift moving current. When the victim aggressively refused help, Firefighter Cashman physically restrained him until colleagues assisted in lifting him into the rescue boat. The victim was taken to the 79th Street boat basin where he was turned over to the Emergency Medical Service and the New York Police Department.
Officer John Kenny of the NYC Police Emergency Service Unit Truck 1: At 4:38 p.m. on June 17, 2005, Officer Kenny's Truck 1 was ordered to a reported helicopter crash into the East River with several passengers aboard. Wearing dry suits and personal flotation devices, Officer Kenny and a colleague sawed through an 8-foot fence to reach the river's edge. They observed two males in the water, an injured victim clinging to a piling and a semiconscious person struggling to stay afloat. The officers immediately descended 12 feet from the bulkhead into 60-degree water and swam to the victims. The officers kept the semiconscious male's head above the water until a police harbor launch crew assisted with a lifeline. Officer Kenny swam the victim to the rear of the launch and when both were on board, he gave the victim medical aid. Officer Kenny's colleague swam the second victim to a ladder. The victims were the pilot and co-pilot of the helicopter. Both made full recoveries from their injuries.
Officers Frank Pellegrino and George Sichler, both of the NYC Police Department SCUBA Team: At 2 p.m. on June 27, 2005, the officers were dispatched to a report of a teenager drowning in murky Spring Creek, off Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn. Their Aviation Helicopter 14 arrived three minutes after receiving the order. With the helicopter hovering, the dry-suit clad divers jumped into the marsh, crawled up the nearby river- bank to interview an eyewitness, and eventually found a 17-year-old boy 50 feet away, submerged in 15 feet of water and in cardiac arrest. They took him to shore where NYC Fire Department paramedics successfully defibrillated him. The victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital.
Battalion Chief Barry Brandes of the NYC Fire Department: At 5 p.m. on July 4, 2005, Chief Brandes was standing on the beach at 148th St. in Rockaway when he saw an 18-year-old mentally challenged man being slammed into the rock jetty and then pulled out to sea. Without hesitation, Chief Brandes ran 100 yards, jumped into the 63-degree water and swam over 150 yards to the victim. Despite exhaustion, he tried to keep the 6-foot, 240-pound victim afloat even though he was out-weighed by 70 pounds. He swam out farther to get around a 100-foot jetty, but the panic-stricken man struggled, trying to push Chief Brandes underwater to get on top of him to keep his head above water. Chief Brandes submerged to escape the victim's grasp, then slipped up behind the victim and secured him in a cross-chest carry. After making the turn around the jetty and with shore still 75 yards away, Chief Brandes lost his grip and the victim slipped under water. Chief Brandes quickly recovered and brought the victim's head above water. Meanwhile another firefighter happened by and saw what was happening. That firefighter swam to the scene and helped Chief Brandes bring the victim ashore.
Firefighter Vincent Priolo of New York Fire Department Division 21, Ladder 78: At 12:13 a.m. on July 12, 2005, Ladder Truck 78 was ordered to a reported drowning in New York Harbor, adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. While en route they learned the mission was updated to a woman clinging to a buoy about 75 feet from the pier. Wearing his cold-water-rescue suit and tethered to a lifeline, Firefighter Priolo jumped into the 30-foot-deep water. After swimming within several feet of the victim, who by now appeared to have given up, he threw her a rescue "torpedo" to cling to. Firefighter Priolo then maneuvered himself behind the victim, grabbed her around the waist and swam her to the sea wall. She was helped up a portable ladder to safety and later taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Detective James L. Coll and Officer Edward Waszak, both of the NYC Police Department Emergency Service Unit 9: At 10:15 p.m. on July 28, 2005, ESU 9 was dispatched to a reported male in the water at Cross Bay Boulevard and Grassy Bay. A civilian there directed them to an area of weeds, mud and water 100 yards away. Wearing life vests, the two entered the 7-foot-deep water and found the victim unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse. Detective Coll and Officer Waszak removed the victim from the water and began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Detective Coll and Officer Waszak assisted EMS personnel with removing the victim on a stretcher and placing him in an ambulance. He was taken to Peninsula General Hospital where he was in critical condition.
Captain James Fody and Firefighters Daniel Jollon and Christopher Perone, all of the NYC Fire Department Division 1, Engine 6: At 8:12 p.m. on August 3, 2005, two teenage civilians informed the crew that a person had fallen into the East River near South St. and Rutgers. Captain Fody and Firefighter Jollon went to the indicated area and spotted a woman floating face down in the 20- to 30-foot-deep water about 20 feet from the bulkhead. Firefighter Jollon immediately entered the swiftly flowing water, followed by Captain Fody. Upon reaching victim, who had turned blue and appeared lifeless, they applied a life ring to her and maneuvered her toward a ladder dropped by other members of Engine 6. Captain Fody lifted the woman out of the water while Firefighters Jollon and Perone supported her as they treaded water below. Other crewmembers also assisted in lifting the victim over the railing. The victim was given artificial ventilation with a bag valve mask until NYC Fire Department EMS arrived and took her to Beekman Downtown Hospital.
Private Citizen Marissa E. Pecorella from Medina, NY: On the hot and humid evening of August 3, 2005, Marissa was in her family's backyard swimming pool when a friend tried to follow her into the 4½-foot-deep middle. Suddenly the other girl went under the water. As she surfaced, the friend yelled, "Marissa help!" Marissa swam up behind her friend, grabbed her around the waist from behind and swam her to the ladder. Marissa, only 5-years old at the time of the rescue, had been taught water rescue procedures by her father, a former Red Cross swimming instructor. Although she is now the much older and wiser age of six, Marissa is still, to the best of our knowledge, the youngest person to receive an award from this society.
Private Citizen Thomas M. Ruggiero from Newburgh, NY: At 3:52 p.m. on August 11, 2005, Mister Ruggiero and his mother were in the water at East Matunuck Beach, Narragansett, Rhode Island, when she saw an 80-year-old man struggling in a strong current in 10 to 12 feet of water. She immediately alerted her son to the victim's perilous position. Thomas swam 30 feet underwater before surfacing next to the victim. Calming the victim, Thomas announced: "Sir, I am a BSA lifeguard, remain calm, relax, let your body float, you are okay." Thomas took the victim in a cross-body carry and began swimming towards shore. Two bystanders met them in shallow water and assisted in taking the victim to safety. Thomas had passed his Boy Scout lifeguard training only the previous week.
Officers Joseph Hawtin, Jr. of the Ocean Township, New Jersey, Police Dept. and Constantino Mourtos of the Seaside Heights, New Jersey, Police Dept.: At 6 p.m. on August 14, 2005, Officers Hawtin and Mourtos were on foot patrol when an off-duty officer informed them that there was a swimmer in trouble under the casino pier on which they were walking at Grant and Beach Streets, Seaside Heights. They found a large number of people under the pier trying to form a human chain to rescue the 15-year-old boy. An older man who had swum 20 yards was supporting the young victim. Both the victim and rescuer were being pulled by a rip current and undertow but were holding on to the pile. Entering the water, Officer Mourtos helped the group of civilians to safety as Officer Hawtin reached the victim and the older man. While the older man removed himself from the water, Officer Hawtin pulled the young victim to Officer Mourtos and together they carried him out of the water. Tri-Boro First Aid Squad took the boy to Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey.
Detective Seth Gahr of the NYC Police Emergency Service Squad 2: At 3:20 p.m. on September 6, 2005, a clear and sunny day, ESS 2 received a radio run of a person in the East River between 111th and 116th streets. The crew observed a partially submerged woman 30 feet from shore, fighting to keep her head above water in a fast-moving current. Donning his dry suit and personal protective gear, Detective Gahr jumped into the river and swam to the victim in 50- to 60-foot-deep water. Using a life ring and a rescue rope thrown to him from shore, Detective Gahr held the victim's head above the surface as they were pulled to safety. The Emergency Medical Service removed the victim to Metropolitan Hospital.
Sergeant Vito D'Alessio of the Essex County, New Jersey, Sheriff's Office: At 4:25 p.m. on September 16, 2005, Sergeant D'Alessio received an assignment regarding a small child in the Branch Brook Park Lake. Upon arrival, he observed a seven-year-old boy 50 feet from shore in 6- to10-foot-deep water. Sgt. D'Alessio called the victim to come out of the water, but he was unresponsive, swallowing water and at times floating face down. With the current pulling the victim farther out, Sergeant D'Alessio removed his duty rig, shirt and shoes, jumped into the water and pulled the victim to safety. University of Medicine and Dentistry Emergency Medical Service took him to the UMDNJ hospital emergency room in Newark, NJ, where he was found to be alert and sound.
Officers Michael Egan and Kenneth Fehn, both of the NYC Police Department SCUBA Team: At 5:10 p.m. on September 18, 2005, New York police were called to an assault in progress at Bond St. in Brooklyn. There they discovered a woman who had been beaten. The perpetrator, seeing the police, fled with officers in pursuit. When police boxed her in at Degraw St. and the Gowanus Canal, the perpetrator jumped into the water, but was unable to grasp the high slippery seawalls. Divers Egan and Fehn arrived within minutes aboard a police helicopter. Clad in wet suits, they jumped 15 to 20 feet into the water and swam to the semi-conscious victim, who had swallowed polluted canal water. They placed her in a hoist basket in which she was taken to Emergency Medical Service personnel at the street level. The divers swam 100 yards to an overpass where they exited the water.
Private citizens Paul H. Cannon and Jonah Spear, both from Brooklyn, NY: At 12:15 p.m. on September 22, 2005, these private citizens were informed by a police officer that a man was in the Hudson River at Watts St. Before running to the river, they got a rope from their school. Seeing the victim had already slipped a few feet below the surface, Mr. Cannon jumped over a fence and dived into the 20-foot-deep water while Mr. Spear secured the rope to a fence, then entered the water to assist Mr. Cannon in dives to find the victim. On their second attempt, Mr. Cannon, guided by people above, found the victim 8 to 10 feet down, unconscious and not breathing. Mr. Spear took the rope to Mr. Cannon, who was supporting the victim. Police and passersby pulled the three to the protective barrier. The victim and Mr. Spear were lifted to safety while Mr. Cannon swam to a low part of the wall where he exited the water. When the rescuers returned to ground level, they saw a student of theirs administering CPR to the victim, who soon began to breathe and was later taken to a nearby hospital.
Private citizen James M. O'Brien from Lake Peekskill, NY: At 10:40 a.m. on October 8, 2005, a very rainy day, Mr. O'Brien and a firefighter saw a car floating from the Peekskill Riverfront Boat Ramp to deeper water in the Hudson River. Mr. O'Brien and the firefighter entered the water and reached the car, where Mr. O'Brien was shocked to see an elderly couple in the vehicle as it was rapidly filling with water. The woman was screaming and frantically waving her hands, but the man, who was in the driver's seat, was motionless and silent. The firefighter quickly removed the woman and brought her to safety while Mr. O'Brien went for the man. Opening the driver's door, he realized the vehicle was floating because of an air pocket in the rear seat area. He was unable to find the buckle to the man's seat belt after two dives, but, on his third attempt, he found the belt across the victim's legs. He was unable to lift the man. With the car sinking in the 10-foot-deep water and Mr. O'Brien preparing for a fourth dive, the victim's head suddenly popped out of the water between him and the vehicle. Mr. O'Brien grabbed the man's shoulder with one hand as Mrs. O'Brien, watching from the dock, told the victim to tilt his head back to breathe easier. With that the victim floated up into Mr. O'Brien's arms and was taken to the surface, conscious, breathing, unhurt and smiling.
About the Life Saving Benevolent Association
The Life Saving Benevolent Association (LSBA) was founded in 1849 by a special act of the New York Legislature to operate lifesaving stations on the coasts of New York and New Jersey and to reward acts of heroism at sea. The association also encourages training in seamanship, lifeboat work, water rescue methods and submersion victim resuscitation.
The Atlantic Companies, also known as Atlantic Mutual, is a group of diversified financial services companies with a Wall Street heritage dating back to 1842. The group is widely known for the Atlantic Master Plan insurance program, which is designed specifically for affluent individuals and sold through a select group of independent agents. The Atlantic Companies acts as a property-casualty insurer, manages claims for commercial insurance, and helps other business partners target profitable niches in the insurance marketplace. Additional information about The Atlantic Companies and the Atlantic Master Plan can be found at www.atlanticmasterplan.com.
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