Medals awarded to members of Ladder 155 and Engine 302 for bravery displayed at a September 2017 fire in Queens
"At approximately 3:30 am on a September 8, 2017, FDNY Ladder 155 and Engine 302 arrived first due to a heavy fire in a private dwelling. A mother ran to Lt. Brendan Corrigan, Ladder 155, and said her three children were trapped inside. Engine 302 immediately started water on the fire, using booster water from their engine. They aggressively pushed forward into the first floor, battling heavy fire to allow Lt. Corrigan to chase the screams of trapped children on the second floor. In zero visibility inside a rapidly deteriorating fire, Lt. Corrigan located the three sisters huddled together. Firefighter Mark E. Ackerman, L 155, followed Lt. Corrigan to the second floor. Forced to crawl up the stairs due to the extreme heat, FF Ackerman pressed forward, and joined Lt. Corrigan. They each removed an individual from the fire, using their bodies as shields as E 302 aggressively extinguished the fire. Firefighter Gerard P. McManus, L 155, brought a portable ladder to the only accessible window on the side of the building. Entering through the window would put him in a dangerous position, exposed and above the fire while trying to located trapped occupants. Once inside, he made contact with Lt. Corrigan, and carried the third girl down the interior stairs to safety. As members from E 302 advanced forward, Lt. Greg Damato instructed his members to assist Ladder 155 with the removal of the three individuals. Once every trapped occupant was safely removed, the members of 302 re-entered the building and continued to extinguish fire. Heroically, they advanced forward to protect a member of Ladder 155 who was operating in the attic above.
For their heroic actions, Engine 302 Lt. Damato, and Firefighters Christopher M. Armstrong, Christopher Cavalcante, James R. Terry, and Kerron V. Ware, will be awarded the Lt. James Curran/New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Medal. Lt. Corrigan will be awarded the Hispanic Society/23rd Street Fire Memorial Medal of Valor, Firefighter Ackerman will be awarded the Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal, and Firefighter McManus will be awarded the Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia Medal."