News

October 6, 2009

Lifesaving heroics bring honor to area firefighters

Men from Scranton and West Hazleton will be recognized at an event in Bethlehem today.

JOHN KRISPIN Times Leader Correspondent

For two area firefighters, the selfless acts of rescuing stranded victims – who were in both cases surrounded by flames – was enough for them.

Now they are being honored for their acts of heroism.

Paul Triano of Scranton and Brian Moore of West Hazleton have been selected by the Lehigh Valley Health Network to receive the Fourth Annual Valley Preferred Spirit Of Courage Award today. The ceremony will take place at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg in Bethlehem.

“I did my job and that was that,” said Triano, 52, who has been a firefighter at Fire Headquarters in Scranton for 26 years. “As long as (the victim) was OK, I was thrilled.”

Valley Preferred, a partnership of doctors and hospitals, is sponsoring the program to raise public awareness on burn safety and prevention. It, along with the Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Burn Prevention Foundation, started this program to recognize individuals who perform heroic acts to save someone from burn deaths or injury.

Late last February, Triano’s Engine 4 responded to a report of a structure fire.

“After we arrived on the scene, an officer was trying to get to the back bedroom where the victim, Catherine Howells, was trapped,” said Triano. “He could not reach her due to equipment difficulties. I crawled through down the hallway and got to her. I then dragged her down the stairs and got her out. Luckily, we contained the fire to the second floor and saved the structure.”

For Moore, a volunteer firefighter, the victim was trapped not in a house, but a burning car.

After leaving work as an EMT at Lake Harmony he was southbound on Interstate 81 when he noticed in the opposing lane an erratic car that careened off the road, flipping multiple times before settling right-side-up.

“When I saw this I ran to the other side of the interstate and got to the disabled vehicle,” said Moore, 29. “As I assessed the elderly man’s body, I noticed flames coming from under the dashboard vent. I notified him, because he was semi-conscious, that I was pulling him out. Once I got him out, I dragged him to a safe distance. I looked back and the car was engulfed in flames.”

In each case the firefighters’ superiors nominated the men – Assistant Chief Jack Davis for Triano and Chief Robert J. Ward for Moore – for the award.

Both firefighters will be attending the dinner tonight in Bethlehem with their family and fellow firefighters.

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