Awards Given to Firefighters Following Dangerous Fire

Senior Firefighter Patrick Mansfield and Firefighter Cameron McCullough (Quint 14 Blue Shift) received the Medal of Heroism for their actions on a recent fire scene that resulted in two lives being saved. Firefighter Javier Ortiz (Engine 9 Blue Shift) received a life-saving medal for assisting in the rescue operation. On 6/24/24, FFS Mansfield and FF McCullough entered a burning Alton Park home on Fagan Street and rescued two victims. Later they were joined by FF Ortiz. FFS Mansfield dragged the first victim through the house to the kitchen door and then went back in to find the second victim with FF McCullough. Together, they worked to extract the second victim. She was entangled and had to be freed in near zero visibility.

 They began to move the victim and were joined by FF Ortiz in the hallway. They got the patients outside where other firefighters provided assistance. They did this without a handline due to the urgency of the victims’ situation. The front room was fully engulfed after entry was made due to the rush of air, but the firefighters were focused on the rescue. Both victims were transported to the hospital with serious injuries related to smoke inhalation. It appeared that they were trying to escape the fire, but were overwhelmed by smoke and became trapped in the back of the residence. They were transferred to Vanderbilt Medical Center for further treatment. Both victims survived and are recovering from their injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

“You all do so much for the community, including these two successful saves. In this case, there were seconds for survival and you made split second decisions that made all the difference,” Fire Chief Phil Hyman told the firefighters.