Vermont Firefighter Breaks Rules To Rescue Woman In Fire

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HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN
Brattleboro Reformer

GRAFTON - Volunteer firefighter Richard Thompson knew when the tone came in Friday night that this was not going to be an ordinary fire.

Thompson was home, just after 5 p.m., when the call came in that Beatrice Fisher's 150-year-old farm house was ablaze.

Fisher's home is less than a mile from where Thompson lives, so instead of going to the Grafton Fire Station, he drove directly to the Fisher property.

When he got there, flames and smoke were rising out of the rear of the historic building. A granddaughter-in-law of Fisher's was shouting to the woman, who is in her 80s, and who was trapped in the burning building.

"Gram is in the building," the relative said. "I can hear her."

Thompson has been a firefighter for about a year and he knew all of the basic requirements of never entering a burning building alone and always trying to make sure you had the proper equipment.

Thompson might have thought about that for an instant.

But with the fire growing by the second, and Fisher's faltering voice coming through a shattered window, Thompson broke every rule he knew.

He kicked in the front door, got down on his knees and began searching for Fisher, alone. Fisher's voice, a barely audible whimper at that point, could be heard from a room on the first floor.

The heat was intense, and smoke filled the room where Thompson went to look for Fisher.

Even though he disregarded the training lessons on equipment and teamwork, he did remember about doing a right-hand sweep and about staying low. He crawled close to the wall, swinging his arm out to try to feel for Fisher.

At first, he failed to find anything.

He took a deep breath, and did another sweep, when, without gloves on his hand, he felt a soft brush of human skin. He might have missed that feeling with gloves on.

"Bea. Yell at me so I can find you," Thompson shouted.

And from outside, Fisher's granddaughter-in-law was trying to get her to make noise. Thompson could hear the windows popping from the intense heat and the dry timbers of the century-and-a-half old building cracking.

And, somewhere else, among the noise and havoc, he heard the soft whisper of Fisher's voice.

Knowing that this was probably about as long as he should be alone in the burning building, he reached out and grabbed the woman.

At first her body did not come easily. She must have been holding on, or hooked. Thompson pulled, freeing her and he carried her out to safety.

By the time Thompson staggered out with Fisher in his arms, other firefighters and ambulances were just arriving.

He dragged her across the lawn. A rescue team gave her oxygen and she quickly regained consciousness.

This weekend, she was being treated in a hospital for smoke inhalation, but is now expected to recover. The Fisher house, one of the oldest homes in Grafton, was a total loss.

Firefighters occasionally go directly to the site of the fire if it is closer to the home. But they are always under strict rules to wait for help and the proper equipment.

Grafton Fire Chief Eric Stevens on Sunday refused to criticize his fireman's decision to go into the building to save Fisher.

"I would not recommend it, but I am not going to second-guess him," the chief said. "When you come upon a scene like that, you have to weigh the risk. You have to weigh your life against the life of someone else."

And Chief Stevens said that he did have one thing to say about Thompson's reaction.
"I would call him a hero," said Stevens.

Stevens said the Grafton department would be investigating the cause of the fire, though he said it was not suspicious.

In an interview Sunday, Thompson tried to downplay all the praise which he has received throughout the weekend.

He admits to probably "breaking every rule in the book," but said if he came upon the same scene again where a Grafton neighbor's life was threatened, he would do it all over again.

"When you know there is someone in there, there is a little more of, 'Oh, my God,'" said Thompson on Sunday. "I know these people. They are my neighbors. I ain't no hero. I would do the same thing again, and so would anyone else in this department. I was just doing my job."

Copyright 2010 MediaNews Group, Inc. and New England Newspaper Group Inc.
All Rights Reserved
December 13, 2010

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Mine would still be the same. With a RIP Brother at the end
I am so glad things turned out the way they did. I was horrified when I found out it was Bea's house burning that night. The loss of Bea would of devastated the community. She is the type of person that will do anything for someone else.

So my question is: For those that know Bea, saving her would be like saving your own grandmother. Would it of made a difference if that person was a stranger? How about if you could not here a voice from inside? Or if there was not someone outside saying they just heard her?

I am very new to the fire service and have never been in this situation so I mean no offense. I am just curious.
It is very hard to resist that cry for help from within that burning building. Most of the successful rescues do get the enormous gratitude and adulation of the rescued individual and family - - - 'BUT' a death of a victim and also the rescuer is not the best result.

And brothers, we know the worst happens too often! I am reluctant to give an unqualified hero's praise to someone who puts himself in danger and subsequently to the firefighters who may now have to attempt to rescue two instead of just one. When it turns out OK it is a miracle and worthy of note, but too often that is not the case.

My congratulations for your good fortune Brother. Carry your PPE with you but no more solo interior S&R without your backup and proper gear!
Not that it is always true but there is an old saying "I would rather be a live coward than a dead hero".
I am very proud of Fire Fighter Thompson save. Very Proud of the Fire Chief to back his decision to save a life. The one thing that I think everyone is getting caught in was the fact that he had no turnout gear but he had the Trained Mind to make a save. As a fire instructor I teach people not to "SECOND GUEST THEMSELVES". This is what everyone does in the fire service, we second guest ourselves. Please Stop & Give Praises Where Praises Are DO...
"Thank You Brother Great Save" May God Continue to Bless You and The Family That you Saved. This is the true meaning of Christmas.

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