5 CNY Firefighters To Receive Award For Rescuing 2 From Burning Mobile Home

CLAY, N.Y. — Five Moyers Corners Fire Department members will be collectively named “Firefighter of the Year” for their rescue of two men from a mobile home fire on Christmas morning in the the town of Clay.

The rescue, which was dubbed “The Christmas Miracle,” was made by Deputy Chief Frank Crispin, Deputy Chief Steve Zaferakis, and firefighters Ryan Whitmore, Phil Vogt and Jeremy Corso. The firefighters placed themselves in extreme peril to save the lives of two individuals who were trapped in a burning mobile home, according to the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.

About 100 people from Moyers Corners are traveling to Albany for the FASNY awards ceremony during the 143rd FASNY Convention. The ceremony will be held Saturday. The five volunteer firefighters will receive medals of valor for their heroics.

“Simply put, successful firefighting requires teamwork; and I can’t think of a better example of fireground team operations than the early morning Christmas Day response by Moyers Corners Fire Department,” said FASNY President Robert McConville in a news release. “Because they worked together as a unit the team pulled two people from a burning home and provided critical medical care to the victims on scene, which saved their lives. For their heroic actions, FASNY is proud to present these five individuals with our highest award for bravery: FASNY Firefighter of the Year.”

In the very early morning hours of Dec. 25, 2014, Moyers Corners firefighters responded to a residential fire and rescuers could hear a man inside calling for help.

Michael Echeandia, 49, lay on his bedroom floor, unable to escape. An Onondaga County sheriff’s deputy who heard him tried to climb up through the window, but couldn’t get to Echeandia because there was too much smoke, firefighters said. Crispin also could hear the man, but he, too, could not get to him safely.

Meanwhile, Zaferakis and Vogt forced open the back door, closest to the bedroom where the man was trapped. But they couldn’t get in.

“I could barely see in because there was so much debris,” Zaferakis said at the time. “We shut that door and went around to the front of the mobile home.”

A fire in the kitchen started to grow. As soon as the firefighters opened the front door, the fire took off, they said. Flames spread rapidly, across the kitchen walls and ceiling, into the living room.

Firefighters entered through the front door and crawled from the family room, through the kitchen to a short corridor and into the bedroom as the fire spread throughout the home.

Echeandia was now semi-conscious in the smoke-filled bedroom room. Vogt smashed the bedroom window while Zaferakis lifted Echeandia off the ground. Together, the firefighters carried Echeandia to the window and passed him to firefighters outside. He was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. A few days later, the man was upgraded to stable condition and has since continued to recover.

Back at the scene, Crispin located the second victim, 31-year old Justin Smith, who was in full cardiac arrest. Crispin was joined by two firefighters from Rescue 4, Whitmore and Corsaro, and the three together were able to maneuver Smith to the doorway of the room.

With the help of a fourth firefighter, Smith was eventually transported outside and resuscitation efforts began. By the time Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps arrived on the scene, Smith had regained a pulse and was attempting to breathe on his own. He was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. He remained in critical condition for more than two weeks until he was upgraded to good condition.

This fire was a great example of a department-wide team effort and an overall well-run operation, according to FASNY. A quick knockdown of the flames, a fast search and rescue operation, and quality emergency medical care not only resulted in two individuals being pulled from a house fire, but also surviving the ordeal. For these efforts the members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department collectively are named Firefighter of the Year 2015.