(Nov. 6, 2014) April 17 began as a cool, windy and somewhat drizzly day. With the arrival of early evening hours, temperatures dipped. Seemingly, the day had passed with little more excitement than that which is common with fluctuating spring weather conditions. The evening calm, however, was about to be broken.
At 6:02 p.m. Worcester County Emergency Services (WCES) Communications Clerk Robert Rhode received a distress call from 31-year-old Tocarra Derrickson. She and her 6-year-old daughter were trapped by fire in their Branch Street home in Berlin. Within 45 seconds of receiving her call, WCES Shift B personnel had reported details about the house fire and the two trapped occupants to Berlin Fire Company (BFC) officials who quickly went into action.
Berlin Police Department (BPD) Officers Edward Carmean and Merle Bragg arrived on the scene first and found the house engulfed in smoke. They witnessed a tiny hand pressed against a rear bedroom window. They broke the glass, and they pulled the young girl from the burning structure. While that rescue was in progress, BFD officials and those from neighboring agencies arrived on the scene and developed a plan to rescue Derrickson from the second floor.
Rhode remained on the line with Derrickson, returning her call twice when their phone connections were dropped, and provided emergency personnel with information on her exact whereabouts. He remained on the line even after Derrickson lost consciousness.
BFC members Incident Commander and Assistant Chief Bryon Trimble, Operator Harry Trimble, Assistant Chief Logan Helmuth, Firefighter/EMT Moe Cropper and Firefighter/Paramedics Ken Braniecki and Collins Brown developed and executed a plan to cut a hole in the home and rescue Derrickson. BFC Assistant Chief Derrick Simpson, past Chiefs Bill Scott and Duane Phillips, Firefighters Austin Purnell, Ryan Jones and Gino Carozza, along with Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office off duty Captain Josh Bunting and Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company (OCVFC) Assistant Chief William Savage, III also assisted with the rescue.
Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedic Jason West and EMS Driver Ron Thorwart, BFC Firefighter/Paramedic Nancy Holland and OCVFC Firefighter/Paramedic Parker Shandrowsky provided emergency medical service and transported Derrickson to Atlantic General Hospital.
On Oct. 7, in honor of National Fire Prevention Month, the Commissioners joined with Derrickson and Fire Marshal Jeff McMahon to honor these emergency services personnel and the six responding agencies, which also include the Showell and Newark Volunteer Fire Departments. Derrickson, who was in critical condition at the Bayview Burn Center for several weeks after the incident, extended an emotional thanks to those in attendance, stating that the two would not be alive today if rescue workers had not intervened in such dramatic fashion.
“It only took 18 minutes, from the time the WCES 911 Center received the call until the adult victim was rescued from the home,” McMahon said. “This incident is a perfect example of properly trained emergency personnel responding quickly and employing their training and the latest equipment to rescue lives.”
Fire is the third leading cause of home fatalities. Sixty percent of fire deaths occur in structures where smoke alarms do not work or are not installed. We urge residents to test their smoke alarms monthly to be sure they are in working order.
At 6:02 p.m. Worcester County Emergency Services (WCES) Communications Clerk Robert Rhode received a distress call from 31-year-old Tocarra Derrickson. She and her 6-year-old daughter were trapped by fire in their Branch Street home in Berlin. Within 45 seconds of receiving her call, WCES Shift B personnel had reported details about the house fire and the two trapped occupants to Berlin Fire Company (BFC) officials who quickly went into action.
Berlin Police Department (BPD) Officers Edward Carmean and Merle Bragg arrived on the scene first and found the house engulfed in smoke. They witnessed a tiny hand pressed against a rear bedroom window. They broke the glass, and they pulled the young girl from the burning structure. While that rescue was in progress, BFD officials and those from neighboring agencies arrived on the scene and developed a plan to rescue Derrickson from the second floor.
Rhode remained on the line with Derrickson, returning her call twice when their phone connections were dropped, and provided emergency personnel with information on her exact whereabouts. He remained on the line even after Derrickson lost consciousness.
BFC members Incident Commander and Assistant Chief Bryon Trimble, Operator Harry Trimble, Assistant Chief Logan Helmuth, Firefighter/EMT Moe Cropper and Firefighter/Paramedics Ken Braniecki and Collins Brown developed and executed a plan to cut a hole in the home and rescue Derrickson. BFC Assistant Chief Derrick Simpson, past Chiefs Bill Scott and Duane Phillips, Firefighters Austin Purnell, Ryan Jones and Gino Carozza, along with Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office off duty Captain Josh Bunting and Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company (OCVFC) Assistant Chief William Savage, III also assisted with the rescue.
Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedic Jason West and EMS Driver Ron Thorwart, BFC Firefighter/Paramedic Nancy Holland and OCVFC Firefighter/Paramedic Parker Shandrowsky provided emergency medical service and transported Derrickson to Atlantic General Hospital.
On Oct. 7, in honor of National Fire Prevention Month, the Commissioners joined with Derrickson and Fire Marshal Jeff McMahon to honor these emergency services personnel and the six responding agencies, which also include the Showell and Newark Volunteer Fire Departments. Derrickson, who was in critical condition at the Bayview Burn Center for several weeks after the incident, extended an emotional thanks to those in attendance, stating that the two would not be alive today if rescue workers had not intervened in such dramatic fashion.
“It only took 18 minutes, from the time the WCES 911 Center received the call until the adult victim was rescued from the home,” McMahon said. “This incident is a perfect example of properly trained emergency personnel responding quickly and employing their training and the latest equipment to rescue lives.”
Fire is the third leading cause of home fatalities. Sixty percent of fire deaths occur in structures where smoke alarms do not work or are not installed. We urge residents to test their smoke alarms monthly to be sure they are in working order.