DETROIT FIREFIGHTER RECEIVES 2006 COURAGE AND VALOR AWARD

The 2006 recipient of the Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award is Senior Firefighter Sean Neary, from the Detroit (MI) Fire Department.

(L-R) Fire Engineering Editor in Chief/FDIC Education Director Bobby Halton, FDNY Battalion Chief Chuck Downey (Ray's son), Senior Firefighter Sean Neary and family with the 2006 Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award, PennWell CEO Robert Biolchini, and Battalion Chief Joe Downey (Ray's son).

Senior Firefighter Neary displayed extreme courage and valor when, at great personal risk, he intentionally placed himself in an extremely dangerous situation during a trench rescue. His actions resulted in the successful rescue of one victim. Entering a trench without proper shoring to prevent continuing collapse of the trench walls can result in a rescuer being crushed and asphyxiated by the secondary collapse.

A homeowner and son were working in an unsecured trench 30 feet long and 12 feet deep. The trench collapsed catastrophically, burying the son completely and the father up to his chest. Temperatures on this day were over 90 degrees with extreme humidity.

Senior Firefighter Neary responded as a member of Rescue Squad 4 and quickly sized up the situation using his technical rescue training. Lacking the collapse rescue equipment needed, Firefighter Neary improvised an A-frame hoisting device using two ladders and a block and tackle. Neary then donned a harness and directed the crew to lower him into the unstable trench to begin to move dirt and debris off the trapped father. The victim was in respiratory distress from the weight of the collapsed material.

Neary was forced to use his hands and a small shovel to move dirt from the victim. Neary was continuously being struck by falling dirt and clay throughout the event. Undaunted, Neary continued to dig, realizing time was of the essence to remove the victim. In an act of complete selflessness, Firefighter Neary removed his safety rope and attached it to the victim. This action removed his only means of escape in the event of a secondary collapse. Neary, believing it to be the victim’s only hope, placed it on the father. Despite this added lifting dimension, the father remained trapped.

Undaunted, Firefighter Neary then lowered himself to very bottom of the trench to work unsecured and barehanded to free the victim’s feet from a sewer pipe. Nearing complete exhaustion, Firefighter Neary was finally able to disentangle the father, who was pulled successfully up from 12 feet within the collapse.

Upon learning of an unanticipated delay in the arrival of the much-needed trench rescue equipment, Firefighter Neary then began improvising and commandeering materials to create safe shoring to continue rescue operations for the son. Neary cut down fencing and took nearby roofing crews’ plywood. Using backboards and the available products, Neary and the crew were able to improvise enough cribbing and shoring to make the trench safe to enter. Despite these heroic efforts, the second victim was removed lifeless from the tragic collapse.

Senior Firefighter Neary has served 16 years with the Detroit (MI) Fire Department and is assigned to Rescue Squad 4. he is also a rescue instructor for Michigan State University.

The Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award, presented by the Fire Engineering Courage and Valor Foundation, commemorates the life and career achievements of Deputy Chief Ray Downey, chief of rescue operations and 39-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York, who was killed while commanding rescue operations at the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. He was the most highly decorated firefighter in the history of FDNY.

In addition to his great courage as a firefighter, Chief Downey was nationally known for his pioneering efforts in the field of technical rescue and was the unofficial leader of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Teams he trained for disaster response throughout the United States and the world. Chief Downey commanded rescue operations at many difficult and complex disasters, including the Oklahoma City Bombing, the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing, and many natural disasters worldwide.

Through his teaching, articles, instructional videos, and his book, The Rescue Company, Chief Downey made a profound and lasting impact on thousands of firefighters throughout the United States. He was a beloved member of the Fire Engineering and Fire Department Instructors Conference advisory boards. Chief Downey reached a level, both professionally and as a person, that few achieve.

For his lifetime of unparalleled service to firefighters and citizens alike, and in remembrance of the courage and valor exemplified many times throughout his life, it is fitting that the Courage and Valor Award, presented to one extraordinarily courageous American firefighter each year, bears the name of Ray Downey, a truly extraordinary man.

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