Springfield firefighters Robert Bloom and Aaron Lopez were awarded the Medal of Valor, the fire division’s highest honor.
“Firefighter Bloom and firefighter Lopez each performed far beyond the normal call of duty, and under extreme personal risk, to affect the rescue of a child,” Springfield Fire Chief Jacob King said in the award presentation at the ceremony.
Firefighters Collin Downing, Ross Angelo and Isaiah Johnson were awarded with the Meritorious Service Medal.
“(They) each demonstrated a high degree of personal initiative, performing substantially above normal requirements in an exemplary manner and contributing significantly to the achievement of the core beliefs of the Springfield Fire Rescue Division,” King said.
In the afternoon of April 8, 2023, crews were dispatched to an apartment complex at 1037 E. Home Road on a report of a gas leak. Bloom, Lopez, Downing, Angelo and Johnson were all responding firefighters to the incident.
When the first medic crew with Angelo and Johnson arrived on scene, they smelled gas and began directing bystanders away from the building. The next unit with Downing and Bloom arrived shortly after, and as Downing was positioning the engine, the building exploded.
The explosion caused structural damage to the apartment complex and caused a large portion of the front wall and roof to collapse. Fire erupted on the first and second floors.
Shortly after the explosion, two adults, both Haitian immigrants, exited the rubble with severe injuries, and one of the victim’s clothes were still burning. Angelo and Johnson immediately came to her aid, extinguished the flames and rendered medical treatment.
“Both victims were in shock, but even through the shock and a language barrier, crews understood that a child was still inside on the second floor of the apartment. They could hear the child crying and see the crib through the collapsed wall,” King said.
King said Bloom and Lopez entered the building to rescue the child. While they were inside, Angelo manned the outside handline to keep the fire at bay until the rescue was complete, Johnson began treating the victims by himself, and Downing readied the squad operations and helped to deploy the initial handline.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
“Without hesitation, Bloom and Firefighter Lopez donned their masks and made entry, moving across the rubble pile, through the first floor, and to the crib on the second floor, passing fire as they went. They found the child, alert and covered by debris, in the crib. They grabbed the child and quickly removed her out of the building,” King said.
“They completed this rescue even though the fire was uncontrolled, the building was structurally compromised, and the potential for secondary collapse was great.”
The then 11-month-old girl suffered burns but was released from the hospital later that month. The baby’s mother, Macdala Ducatel, 39, died on April 15, and Ducatel’s sister, Edeline Ducatel, on April 10.
The awards presented at Friday’s ceremony included the Metal of Valor, Unit Citation Awards, Meritorious Service Awards, and Chief’s and Commendation Awards.
The firefighter graduate-recruits included Cole Schlereth, of Enon; Anthony DeCarlo, Levi Morrison and Zachary Sprinkle, of Springfield; Zachary Ramey, of Troy; and Kevin Lockwood, of Xenia.
“This graduation continues the long-standing partnership between Clark State College Fire Training Program and the City of Springfield Fire Rescue Division, providing high quality training and education for the public safety workforce,” said Jeremy Linn, fire safety training coordinator at Clark State.
The recruits completed a 13-week Firefighter 1&2 Academy, which included 480 hours of classroom and practical instruction. All six graduates are full-time employees with the Springfield Fire Rescue Division and began their duties Monday, assigned to one of the six fire stations n the city.
Students must complete and earn the certificate from Clark State, then successfully pass an exam administered by the Ohio Division of EMS that will be taken at the college. Anyone interested in the Fire Safety Services training program at Clark State can contact Linn at linnj@clarkstate.edu or 937-328-7938.
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