Jon Moss
syracuse.com
(TNS)
Syracuse, N.Y. — After pulling up to the burning home on Lilac Street, Syracuse firefighters Kyle Wilmer and Paul Lukacs quickly realized they didn’t have a lot of time.
Smoke was billowing out of the front of the home early that morning last September. And a man was trapped on the home’s second floor.
The two firefighters are part of Rescue Company, which is specially trained to get people out of dangerous situations. They turned to each other and agreed they needed to move fast, Lukacs recalled.
“There’s no fancy lingo,” he said. “It’s just, ‘This looks bad.’”
Wilmer and Lukacs quickly got inside the home and found the man near the stairs on the second floor. They got him out the front door only five minutes after first pulling up. An ambulance took the man to the hospital and he survived.
Wilmer and Lukacs were recently awarded the Syracuse Fire Department’s Medal of Honor, one of the department’s highest honors. Dozens of other department members received commendations for actions taken last year.
Firefighters and their loved ones crowded into a large auditorium in Syracuse University’s National Veterans Resource Center on May 13.
Wilmer and Lukacs graduated from the fire academy together in 2014. They were part of what was then the city’s first new class of firefighters in three years.
The pair became friends. They now trade stories about raising their kids, who are around the same age.
Wilmer and Lukacs reunited a few years ago at Rescue Company, based out of Fire Station 6 at 601 S. West St. The unit responds to every major structure fire in the city. It specializes in quickly finding people in fires and then getting them out.
They are frequently at the Syracuse Fire Department’s training facility on State Fair Boulevard to hone both their firefighting skills and ability to work well as a team.
“We have a very good relationship,” Lukacs said. “When you can predict what someone’s going to do, that certainly makes things a lot easier.”
They put all that expertise to use in the wee hours of the morning on Sept. 17.
The rescue company responded with other firefighters at about 3:30 a.m. to a fire in a small apartment building at 715 Danforth St. on the city’s North Side. Wilmer and Lukacs donned their breathing gear and went to look for anyone who might be inside.
After wrapping up the search, they were doing “overhaul” — checking for any hidden flames — when another call crackled over the radio. It was now 4:20 a.m. and there was a kitchen fire a few blocks away.
Wilmer and Lukacs rushed back to the fire truck and it sped off to 132 Lilac St.
On the way, they changed out their air tanks.
When they pulled up, a police officer said a man had been talking with her from out of a second-floor window. It was now up to Wilmer and Lukacs to get him out.
Wilmer and Lukacs headed in through the front door and started looking around. Lukacs used a thermal imaging camera to see through the smoke and find the railing for the staircase.
The duo headed up the stairs and found the man near the landing on the second floor. He was disoriented, wondering why people were in the house, Wilmer said.
They carefully carried the man out of the home, keeping him low to the floor. The air there would be cooler and less smoky.
Meanwhile, other firefighters sprayed water on the fire from a spot near the staircase. Lt. Richard Rothery and firefighter Kyle Kinsella from Engine 1 worked to protect the way out for Lukacs and Wilmer and the man they were rescuing.
Once the man was out of the house, firefighters Tyler Scanlon and Frank Grippe took over. They got him into Ambulance 4 and rushed to the hospital. The man survived.
Wilmer and Lukacs are modest about their efforts that September morning.
“It just feels like we did our jobs,” Wilmer said. “We were fortunate to have a good outcome.”
Awards presented for actions in 2023
400 Velasko Road, April 14
EMS Level 2: Firefighters Jordan Patrick, Tyler Scanlon, Jarrett McMahon, Colin Taisey, Kevin DeLong
432 Stafford Ave., May 11
EMS Level 2: Lts. Roseanne Wood-Rautenstrauch, Geoffrey Westby, Eamon Coogan; Firefighters Mohummed Atiyeh, Michael Heister, Christian Dorn, William Pace
218 Carbon St., June 22
EMS Level 2: Lts. Rachel Wood, Eamon Coogan; Firefighters Conrad Skrupa, Michael Heister, Christian Dorn, Brandon Jennings
219 Walton St., July 30
EMS Level 1: Lts. Richard Rothery, Casey Mack, Jeremy Burton; Firefighters Louis Parolin, Colin Taisey, Kevin DeLong, Leo Rogers, Gary Carfagno, Douglas Conklin, Paul Lukacs, William Lydon, Vincent Anastasi
1101 S. Geddes St., Oct. 5
EMS Level 2: Capt. Jorge Rolon; Lt. John Suits; Firefighters Griffin DuPuree, Brian Gotham, Bret Whaley, Eric Wojtaszek
215 Wilson St., Nov. 3
EMS Level 2: Capt. Stephen Zingaro; Firefighters Kerry King, Keith Love, Casey Ravas
821 E. Brighton Ave., March 1
Unit citation: Lts. Jeffrey Cole, Christopher Duffy; Firefighters Joshua Griffin, Brian Green, Allen O’Neil, Brian Schreiner, Robert Brandt, David Kiernan, Gabriel Mariani
Individual citation: Deputy chiefs James Farewell, Nicholas Pagano; District chief John Kilpatrick; Capts. Brian Falise, Matthew Craner; Lts. Christopher Haley, Geoffrey Westby, Anthony Sterio, Paul Veri
Special certificate of recognition: Peter Bovalino, Jacob Lyon, Dan Green, William Senke, Michael Rittenhouse, Paul Tysco, Richard Wood
599 S. Salina St., April 8
Unit citation: Lt. Thomas Sexton IV; Firefighters Gary Carfagno, Douglas Conklin II, Gary Andrews, William Lydon, Kyle Wilmer
704 Pond St., April 3
Unit citation: Lt. Jeffrey Wisely; Firefighters Joseph Coppola Jr., Jonathan Oswald, Jonathan Boehm
Team citation: Capt. Luka Tortarella, Firefighter Derek Foster
Syracuse Fire Fighters Association’s Valor Award: Firefighters John Tysco, Thomas Petersen
Distinguished service
Fire chief’s medal: District Chief Richard Buck
Mayor’s medal: Firefighter David Corbett Jr.
1741 W. Onondaga St., Sept. 28
Team citation: Capt. Greg Petersen; Firefighters Peter Conover, Gary Andrews, Thomas Rotella
Unit citation: Lt. Jason Campanella; Firefighters Jeff Dugan, Ryan Woods, Michael Corp
111 Smith Lane, Dec. 20
Team citation: Lt. Daniel Orr; Firefighters Jamie Pinkley, Conor Nolan, Patrick Halpin
216 Burdick Ave., Oct. 6
Individual citation: District Chief Adam Smith; Firefighter Brian Gotham
EMS Level 2: Lt. Christopher Haley; Firefighters Conor Riggs, Alex Cimino, Conrad Skrupa
Syracuse Fire Fighters Association’s Valor Award: Firefighter Antoine Tearney, James Peet II
132 Lilac St., Sept. 17
EMS Level 2: Firefighters Tyler Scanlon, Frank Grippe
Syracuse Fire Fighters Association’s Valor Award: Lt. Richard Rothery; Firefighter Kyle Kinsella
Syracuse Fire Department Medal of Honor: Firefighters Kyle Wilmer, Paul Lukacs
Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at jmoss@syracuse.com or @mossjon7.
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