Monday’s small bedroom fire on Dolores Lane in Bristol Township was caused by a burning cigarette, Bristol Township Fire Marshall Kevin Dippolito said this week.
But that’s not where the story ends. A local fire chief pulled a semi-conscious man from the room where the fire was burning.
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Croydon Fire Chief Tom Tryon said that upon entry to the residence it wasn’t apparent where the fire was coming from until Third District Fire Chief Ray Finnell went to a back bedroom and identified the origin of the smoke. He found a man laying in bed who was unresponsive.
“Ray went towards the bedroom, yelled, ‘we got smoke here,’ opened the door and found a man laying on the bed,” said Tryon.
Finnell carried the man outside so he could receive medical treatment, according to the Croydon fire chief.
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The hero fire chief described the events for LevittowNow.com through an e-mail exchange late Friday afternoon and also credited Tryon with the assist.
Finnell said when he arrived on scene with the Croydon fire chief there was a “slight haze” of smoke in the dwelling and a wheelchair bound elderly woman. The Third District chief said that Tryon was in the kitchen investigating the smoke and as he asked the woman if there was anyone else in home, which she told him her son was in the back bedroom.
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“When I opened the door to the bedroom I found the subject laying on the bed. When he didn’t answer my demands to leave the room, I picked him up carried into the hallway where chief 11 assisted me and we carried the subject out of the house,” Finnell said.
Finnell then started first aid treatment by putting oxygen on the victim and care was transferred to first responder medics when they arrived on scene.
First reported as a house fire showing smoke, officials said the fire was started by a cigarette put out in an adult diaper shoved into a vent in the bedroom of the residence.
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The wheelchair bound woman, using her medic alert button called in the smoky conditions. In turn, the medical alert company called the residence and was told by the wheelchair bound resident of the smoky conditions in the residence. The medical alert company then alerted Bucks County emergency operators, officials said.
Due to the quick teamwork of firefighters, the fire was extinguished quickly and a man was saved from risk of serious injury.
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Both residents were transported to a local medical facility for treatment of smoke inhalation and observation, Diplitto said.
So in reality there were two hero chiefs on Monday. Croydon Fire Chief Tom Tryon and Third District Chief Ray Finnell.
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Models of team work and humility for first responders everywhere.
