Emotional Pa. Asst. Chief Thanks RIT Crew, Medics Who Saved His Life

March 26--FRACKVILLE -- Mount Carmel assistant fire Chief James Reed Sr. met Wednesday night with a group of volunteer firefighters credited with saving his life.

Reed was critically injured while fighting a massive fire that destroyed several homes in the 200 block of South Walnut Street on March 16.

On Wednesday, Reed, 59, sat down with firefighters from Butler Township's Englewood Fire Company who were called to the scene as a Rapid Intervention Team.

Their team was called into action when Reed was hurt and collapsed inside one of the buildings.

"You are the reason I am here today," a teary-eyed Reed said to the four RIT team members who pulled his lifeless body from that burning building.

After being rescued by Englewood Capt. Steve Oravitz and firefighters David Malloy, Scott Taylor and Mark Cuttic, EMTs and paramedics performed cardio pulmonary resuscitation, CPR, on the chief before having him flown to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville.

From there, Reed was transferred to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, by helicopter and released two days later, on March 18.

"It was probably the scariest moment of my life," Reed recalled, saying he was in a hallway when "everything went south" fast.

"I couldn't find anyone, I didn't know if I was alone," he said.

The chief said he was in a hallway and, when he realized he was in trouble, reached for a hose line he knew was nearby. That hose, however, was burned through by the fire.

"I became disoriented, I didn't know where I was," Reed said. "How can you get lost in a three-foot hallway?"

Reed said it was a matter of seconds until he found himself unable to exit the building, issued two Mayday alerts over his radio and fell unconscious.

Englewood firefighters were outside and heard the Mayday called by Reed who was in dire trouble.

Oravitz said hearing the Mayday was almost unreal.

"We heard it over the radio and knew what we had to do," he said. "This was a zero-failure mission."

Oravitz said the exact location of Reed was not known, only that he was in Division 2, meaning on a second floor.

As members made their way into the 213 S. Walnut St. home where Reed was believed to be, they were met with heat and smoke on the second floor.

As they began to search the second floor, Malloy said he could hear Reed's Personal Alert Safety System alarm attached to his self-contained breathing apparatus. The alarm is designed to sound when a firefighter becomes motionless, sending a piercing signal that will hopefully be heard by rescuers.

Malloy said the team followed the sound of the alarm and after passing a doorway, noticed the alarm started to become muffled indicating they had passed the location of the sound and Reed.

Seconds later, the RIT team found Reed in what was determined to be a bathroom under debris and began to quickly remove him from the building.

"We found him laying face down on the floor," Oravitz said. "We knew we had to work quickly. Oravitz and Malloy managed to get Reed out of the room and into the hallway where, with the assistance of Taylor and Cuttic, he was taken to the street."

A firefighter for 35 years, Malloy said the rescue operation was the "most intense" thing he had ever done, knowing what was at stake, the life of a fellow firefighter.

Taylor said it was important to get Reed's "lifeless" body out of the building as fast as possible and into the hands of medical personnel.

When Reed was taken away, he had no heartbeat and wasn't breathing, Taylor said. He recalled the feeling he and other team members had a short time later when a police officer informed them that Reed was resuscitated and talking.

"To know we pulled him out lifeless and then he was breathing and talking was amazing," Taylor said.

Englewood Fire Company Chief Edward Beneshunas said the company's RIT team became operational in 2005 and maintains the required training to make it effective.

"This is the reason, the reason for the RIT team," Beneshunas said. "Even though on most calls you just stand around waiting, you have to be ready to go to work within seconds since every second counts."

A Rapid Intervention Team, sometimes called a FAST team, is comprised of a crew of trained firefighters that serve as a standby rescue team.

Beneshunas said the team should be ready to activate within seconds to search and rescue any missing, trapped, injured or unaccounted firefighters.

A RIT team is equipped with the appropriate protective clothing, protective equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus and specialized rescue equipment including emergency breathing support systems designed to provide clean air to an injured or trapped firefighter.

Reed said he may be able to return to the firefighting service in a few weeks after getting the OK from doctors at Lehigh Valley Hospital.

That, however, is only one hurdle, he said.

Having his wife allow him to return is the second hurdle.

"She told me she will follow me and if I see a pink fire coat at the scene, it will be her watching," he said.

Beneshunas said thanks are due to all firefighters for the jobs they do whenever called, day or night, 365 days a year.

"It's all about the brotherhood," he said.

Copyright 2015 - Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.