Crew members are pictured with Assistant Chief Fire Officer Denis O'Driscoll and Area Manager Mick Martin after receiving their certificates.
9 February 2009
Firefighters from three fire stations in Milton Keynes have been officially congratulated after rescuing two people from a fire.
Blue Watches from Broughton Fire Station and Great Holm Fire Station and Red Watch from Newport Pagnell Fire Station have been presented with citations following their actions at a fire in Penryn Avenue, Fishermead, Milton Keynes, last September.
The crews were called to a three-storey house after a fire broke out in the kitchen. Four adults managed to leave the house by the front door, but a man and a woman were unable to get down the stairs from the top floor because of thick smoke.
Firefighters used a 13.5-metre ladder to lead them to safety out of a bedroom window. Six firefighters entered the building wearing breathing apparatus to carry out a thorough search and to put out the fire.
The crews were presented with their framed letters by Assistant Chief Fire Officer Denis O’Driscoll at Broughton Fire Station. Also present were Area Manager Mick Martin and Station Managers Geoff Bottle (Broughton and Newport Pagnell) and Paul Harrison (Great Holm).
The citations, by Chief Fire Officer Damian Smith, read: “In recognition of their contribution to the firefighting and rescue operations at Penryn Avenue, Fishermead, Milton Keynes, on Saturday 13 September 2008 resulting in the successful rescue of two people trapped by fire.”
Mick said: “The two people had a very lucky escape as their exit was blocked off. The hallway and stairs were so smoke-logged that they couldn’t make their way down the stairs.
“They were hanging out of the window when the crews arrived. Had the fire developed more quickly, they could quite easily have been overcome by hot fire gases.”
Denis said: “I would like to praise the professional excellence of the crews, who worked quickly and thoroughly to prevent it from becoming an even more serious incident.”