Va. firefighter wins national award for rescuing girl

By Kathy Adams
The Virginian-Pilot

BAYSIDE, Va. — Early on the morning of Oct. 12, an overloaded extension cord sparked a fire that quickly spread through a two-story home on Jeanne Street in Aragona Village.

The fire raged for about a half hour, claiming the life of a 73-year-old woman and displacing 10 people. But the tragedy could have been even worse.

When firefighters arrived shortly before 2 a.m., two people were on the roof of the home's front porch, trying to rescue a 16-month-old girl trapped inside. There wasn't much time, so fire Capt. William "Billy" Reynolds made a tough decision: to enter without a fire hose.

The maneuver, called vent-enter-search, is the most dangerous in firefighting, said Battalion Chief Tim Riley, a department spokesman. It means a firefighter goes in without the security of a water hose to extinguish flames and safely lead the way out.

It's a maneuver most firefighters use only once or twice in their careers, Riley said.

Reynolds and seven-year Firefighter Hope Scott entered through a second-floor window and began searching for the child. But smoke blinded them, and the house was so hot a thermal imager was useless.

For several long minutes they searched fruitlessly through a bedroom cluttered with furniture and clothes. Then Scott heard a faint cry and shallow, raspy breaths coming from a nearby spot on the floor.

She discovered the girl lying on a mattress, covered in bedding. She was unconscious and ended up in a pediatric intensive care unit for 10 days, according to a write-up on the incident from the Fire Department. But she survived and has since made a full recovery.

In an interview after the rescue, Scott said she was just doing her job. But her actions caught the attention of Liberty Mutual Insurance agent Sherry Goumenis, who nominated Scott for a national heroism award.

A board of fire safety professionals reviewed more than 150 nominations for the National Firemark Award for Heroism and selected Scott the winner. She'll be recognized at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday in a ceremony at Town Center's Fountain Plaza.

The award, which is sponsored by Liberty Mutual, includes a $10,000 grant for the Fire Department, which will probably be used to purchase safety equipment, Riley said. Scott also will receive a trip for four to Disney World, according to a news release.

"It could've been any of the members of the Fire Department, but on that particular day, it just happened to be Hope," Goumenis said. "But she's obviously very well-deserving of this particular award, so we were all very proud of her."

Liberty Mutual also recognized seven other firefighters involved in the incident with the local Firemark Award, including Capt. Billy Reynolds.

"We're proud of every member that responded on the Jeanne Street fire because it was truly an all-hands effort," Riley said. "We're honored."

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