FDNY Captain Rescues Woman in Fire

FDNY Captain Rescues Woman in Brooklyn Fire Capt. Rich Savarese FDNY Capt. Rich Savarese risked his life to save a woman from a fire in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, on Aug. 1. “It feels like a million bucks, it really does,” Capt. Savarese said. Firefighters were called to the scene of the fire on 92nd Street at around 4:30 a.m. Members from Engine 242 and Ladder 149 were the first to arrive. The building was long and narrow, with isolated staircases, making it challenging for firefighters to stretch a hose line to the fifth floor, where the fire was located. When Capt. Savarese, covering officer for Ladder 149, found the fire apartment, the door had already been opened by the superintendent. Inside, he said, smoke filled the apartment from ceiling to floor and there was heavy fire. He said soon after he got into the apartment he heard what sounded like faint moaning. And even though there were no reports of people trapped and fire was rolling overhead, he decided to conduct a search. “That’s when you have to go the extra mile,” Capt. Savarese said. “If I hadn’t heard her cry, I probably wouldn’t have gone where I did, but it sets a different tone when you know there’s someone who needs help.” He went straight to the bedroom from where he thought the voice came. Multiple times he called out “make a noise,” hoping the person would hear him, but got no response. Finally, he said, he came upon a woman’s body on the floor. He grabbed her by the arms and dragged her out of the apartment. EMS members from a local hospital revived her in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Capt. Savarese, who lives near where the fire occurred, said this is his second major rescue in his 20-year career. The first was when he had just six months on the job. “I’m really glad it worked out,” he said. ““It’s really gratifying. I feel great.”