Two Recognized for their Heroics
Tuesday, April 22 2008 @ 02:15 am EDT
Contributed by: CBrining
From the Atlantic City Press Published: Monday, April 21, 2008
By ELAINE ROSE Staff Writer, 609-272-7215
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - Two men who rescued a woman from a burning building in Pleasantville received Valor Awards recently from the Atlantic County Firefighters Association. What makes the honor unusual is that the men are not firefighters, police officers or emergency medical technicians, but two ordinary guys who happened to be nearby when the fire broke out.
George E. Hurden III, of Absecon, and Allen G. Holman, of Egg Harbor City, both employees of Atlantic County Concrete, said they were surprised to be honored for their action.
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"I read the narrative of what these two folks did," said Amor "Skip" Portale, president of the association, at the ceremony held in front of about 100 people at the Anthony Canale Training Center. "These two brave individuals didn't go in (to the burning building) just once, they went in twice. If that does not demonstrate courage and bravery, I don't know what does. You guys are real heroes in my book."
Firefighters are trained and equipped with the proper gear to enter a burning building, but Hurden and Holman went in with "just a care for someone else's life," said Pleasantville Deputy Chief Gary Morey in describing the incident of Sept. 7.
The fire started at about 7 a.m. in the two-story building on West Washington Avenue that contained six apartments, Morey said. Hurden and Holman, who were working across the street at the concrete company, jumped a fence to get to the fire and asked if anyone was trapped inside.
Hurden and Holman had "no regard for their own lives," Morey said. "They wanted to make sure another human being got to see another day."
Hurden received the Top Valor Award, because he went the furthest into the building. Holman received the First Class Valor award.
The two men also received certificates of appreciation from Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson, Freeholders Frank Sutton and Alisa Cooper, state Sen. James Whelan, D-Atlantic, and a representative of Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd.
After the ceremony, Holman and Hurden expressed surprise at all the recognition.
"I feel blessed to be in a position to do good works," Holman said. "I'm amazed at all the people who came out."
"We had no idea this was for us," but thought they were on a list of award recipients, Hurden said.
Hurden said he was working a front-end loader at his company, when the workers saw smoke coming from the building across the street. He drove to the closest corner of the lot, and then jumped the fence to the burning building. He saw an older man and asked him if someone was trapped, and was told there was.
Holman came up behind him, and they couldn't reach anyone from the front entrance, Hurden said. So Holman asked about a second entrance. Hurden said he kicked the back door twice, cracking it open and Holman knocked it down.
Hurden said he went into the smoke-filled room on his hands and knees and couldn't see anything inside.
"I felt her leg, and she was unconscious," Hurden said. He and Holman grabbed the woman and dragged her about 30 feet from the building.
Holman said he put his hand on Hurden's shoulder and followed him into the building. About half a minute after they entered the rear door, they found the trapped woman. They covered her with a shirt and said a prayer for her.
The building was filled with smoke, Holman said.
"For four or five days (afterward), I was hacking up stuff," he said.
The woman sent her rescuers a Christmas card and said she was doing well, Holman and Hurden said.
At the ceremony, firefighters also honored three Atlantic County students for creating fire-prevention posters.
Cathy Deng, a student at the William Davies School in Hamilton Township, won the top award, and Sarah Wilbraham, of the Seaview Avenue School in Linwood, Emily Montecions, of the North Main Street School in Pleasantville, won for their divisions.
Deng's poster, showing a mother and daughter hugging each other outside a burning home with the words, "Have You Planned Your Escape?" was reproduced and will be distributed across the county.
The winning posters will be sent to the state contest for judging.
Elwood Fire Rescue
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