Saturday, February 23, 2008
Firefighters earn state award for work during Roanoke fire
One firefighter suffered cardiac arrest during the November incident, but colleagues helped him.
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Scott Hetherington had no pulse and wasn't breathing when his fellow Roanoke firefighters pulled him out of a burning house in November.
They laid the 39-year-old on the front lawn, and Assistant Fire Chief Billy Altman began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Hetherington, who recovered.
Meanwhile, another crew of firefighters arriving at the Ferdinand Avenue house got to work searching the home and putting out the blaze.
"You could see the pain on their faces, and they did an outstanding job," Roanoke Fire-EMS Chief David Hoback said.
The department is receiving a Governor's Award for their quick actions to take care of the fire scene and save Hetherington, who suffered a cardiac arrest.
Hetherington, Hoback, Altman and others are in Virginia Beach for today's award ceremony.
The department was chosen for the Fire Service Award for excellence in outstanding fire department response because the crew maintained their professionalism, focus, and "kept the spirit of teamwork intact" knowing one of their firefighters was injured, according to a statement from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs, which gives the award.
"It's really about the team that was there," Hoback said. "Everybody had a role in making the scene successful."
Hetherington was not available to be interviewed for this story, Roanoke Fire-EMS spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury said.
He's going through rehabilitation and physical therapy and is expected to be back to work in a few months, Hoback said.
He described Hetherington as a physically fit person who typically bikes 20 miles a day. He had no history of heart problems, but the sudden change of pace and temperature may have triggered the cardiac arrest, Hoback said.
Hetherington had been washing windows at Fire Station No. 7 on Memorial Avenue Southwest when the call for the fire came, Hoback said. In a matter of minutes, he was inside the burning house trying to put out the fire.
Hetherington was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with a police escort.
When the fire was under control, Hoback took the crew to the hospital, where Hetherington was awake and talking.
"The best therapy for them was to go see him," Hoback said. "That lifted a big weight off their chest."
