Fall River Fire Department to be honored by state
By: Brittany Comak
Email: bcomak@abc6.com
Twitter: @BComakABC6
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) – The Fall River Fire Department will be awarded for their heroic actions responding to two fatal car accidents in the last year at the 30th annual Massachusetts ‘Firefighter of the Year Awards.’
“Extraordinary actions – above and beyond what you would expect out of any firefighter,” said Chief John Lynch, recalling those incidents.
Lynch says he saw both instances as reflections of how the department operates as a whole and knew he needed to nominate those who responded.
The first was mid-December of 2018 when an oil tanker rolled over on Route 24, crushing another vehicle, and leaking gasoline all over the road.
The driver of the tanker unfortunately died, but crews were able to rescue the driver of the vehicle that had been crushed.
“They contained the product that was leaking – gasoline, prevented ignition, all that to the extreme peril of themselves,” said Lynch. “So the quick actions in those first few minutes really I found outstanding.”
The second incident happened New Year’s Day when a car plowed through the Four Winds apartment building, hitting the main gas line and sending the building up in flames.
“It was unbelievable,” recalled District Chief James Mellen, who was on scene that day.
He says what made the crew’s actions so heroic was that they had to try and extricate the people inside the car while everything around them continued to burn.
“If I went to other fire departments and told them that scenario, they would think I was making it up,” said Mellen. “No one would believe us that that happened.”
Unfortunately, the two women inside the car did not survive, but everyone else in the building did made it out safely.
“This is a weird situation,” said Mellen. “You’re going to an award for a situation that didn’t end the way you want it to end. But sometimes we don’t get to control how it’s going to end.”
About 23 firefighters will be receiving an award. The awards will be in Worcester on November 26.
© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2019
