Crime & Safety

Ardmore Firefighters Honored for Life-Saving Heroism

Seven men were given a national award for a water rescue in September.

Six firefighters from the  and another from Gladwyne were honored Thursday with the “Bryant True Heroes Award,” a national recognition program sponsored by Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems for “people who have gone above and beyond to make a difference in their communities.”

The men, including Chief Tom Hayden Jr., were presented with the award by Bob Cermignano, an Ardmore resident and the owner of Cermignano Air Conditioning and Heating in Upper Darby, at the 9 a.m. service. A reception was to follow Thursday evening at the Merion Fire Co. hall on Greenfield Avenue in Ardmore.

“I don’t think we truly appreciate all that they do until we absolutely need them,” said Cermignano.

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Cermignano nominated the volunteers after learning of their efforts to rescue Ed Lo, a Haverford man who found himself trapped in his SUV after it was swept into dangerous floodwaters on Mill Creek near Old Gulph Road. The incident happened at about 2 a.m. on Sept. 8, 2011, after several heavy rains in the area.

“For me, it got a little dicey when the water was cresting over the hood.”—Ed Lo, Haverford resident rescued Sept. 8, 2011

Assistant Chief Michael O’Sullivan, Assistant Chief Tony Van Dyke and firefighters Robert Kaercher, Steve Paylor, and Tom Hayden III were recognized for their efforts, along with firefighter Mike Newell of the .

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“The guys entering the water from the north to the south had to go through some pretty rapid water,” said Chief Hayden, after the ceremony. “[They] were able to get to the car, get on top of the car, wrap a life preserver around [the man], and take him off the back. I suppose there was a little but of danger.”

That’s a typical understatement for Hayden—the dispatcher’s report from that night made clear that there was no easy way to access the stranded Lo, who was heading home after a long business trip.

Caller stating responders appear to be approaching from a bad direction—responders coming toward him where it is most rapid,” read part of the report.

In other words, even while he was atop the roof of his vehicle, Lo was worried the firefighters would be swept away in the swirling, heavy water, filled with fast-rushing debris.

“I was going to get down off the car at one point” and into the water, Lo told Patch. “But I saw some pretty fast-moving debris and logs, and I figured I better not get stuck under that.”

Lo was in contact via cell phone with the dispatcher for most of the 20- to 25-minute rescue. “It seemed like forever,” Lo said. “But when I looked at my phone later, I saw that it was only a little more than 20 minutes. That’s amazing to me.”

“It was hard to find him in the first few minutes,” Hayden said. “And once we found him we really couldn’t get to him. We had to go back to the truck and call in—radios don’t work in that kind of water. We went back as far as the bridge then, and he could see us and we could see him, and we were able to do the final part of the rescue.”

Out of several hundred national applications, the Merion Fire Co. is one of only two in the country to receive the award.

“It was difficult getting here to the fire house,” said Tony Van Dyke. “Then once we got loaded up, we kept hearing different reports, and it was hard to know which way to get in there. There was a lot of confusion as to where the guy actually was, but we were hearing that they were still on the phone with him.”

As they drove further into the creek valley, water started to seep into the doors of the fire truck, said Mike O’Sullivan. “You just focus on what you’re doing,” he said. “We were in waist-deep water when we got out, and other guys were reaching him. Eventually we just walked him out of there.”

“At first I called my wife,” recalled Lo, with a laugh. “She said, ‘What do you want me to do? I have a Prius! Call 911!’

“At first I thought that I was wasting resources, but then I realized that it took a lot of people to get to me, because there was just so much water. For me, it got a little dicey when the water was cresting over the hood. I think I did the right thing.”

O’Sullivan, Van Dyke and Steve Paylor all agreed with that last assessment. “If he would’ve gotten into that water by himself, he would’ve been in trouble,” Paylor said.

Lo said he was extremely grateful to the firefighters. He also added that his Toyota Highlander could not be salvaged.

“I miss it,” he said. “May it rust in peace.”


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