Firefighters from Engine 1 and Ladder 2 recently were recognized for a heroic rescue of a woman from an apartment fire at 405 Washington Street on March 29, 2011.

On the morning of March 29th at approximately 12:45 a.m., Brookline Firefighters responded to a reported building fire. Upon arrival, they were met by citizens on the curb reporting a fire on the first floor with a possible woman trapped in the apartment. Firefighters from Engine 1 under the command of Lt. Kyle McEachern stretched a hoseline into the rear of the courtyard and into the stairwell along with members of Ladder 2 under the direction of Lt. Paul Trahon.

The Firefighters encountered a metal entry door secured with multiple locks and smoke pouring from underneath the door. Ladder 2 forced open the door and began to attack the fire and begin a search for the victim.

Lt. McEachern crawled into the apartment, encountering zero visibility due to heavy smoke and intensifying heat from the fire in the kitchen. As Lt. McEachern moved closer to the fire, he located the woman who was lying unconscious outside of the kitchen.

The woman was removed from the apartment and was succesfully resuscitated by Firefighters and Paramedics. Deputy Chief Robert Ward who was the incident commander stated in a report to the Chief of Department that the successful rescue was a direct result of an aggressive interior attack and teamwork.

Receiving commendations were Lt. Kyle McEachern, Lt. Paul Trahon, Firefighter Christine Hagerty, Firefighter Patricia Cripe, Firefighter Marcus Paes, Firefighter Philip Buckley, Firefighter Frederick Johnston, Firefighter Craig Campgna and Firefighter Paul Dubrow.