Craig Giuffre, Ladder 32

Craig heard the screams of his neighbor, Rafael Gomez. He was yelling that his bed-ridden mother was still inside. Seeing that no fire department personnel were on the scene, he realized he needed to do something. After grabbing a pipe bender from his garage, Giuffre ran across the street and to the rear of his neighbor’s house. Craig’s only option was a rear bedroom. So with pipe bender in hand, he cleared out the rear window. Relying solely on his training and without the protection of a handline or any protective gear, Giuffre made entry into the house. The room was charged with smoke from floor to ceiling and fire could be seen in the front of the house. Giuffre could hear the faint screams of Ramona Hilario, so on his hands and knees he began crawling toward the sounds. He told Hilario to keep yelling. Giuffre found Hilario and with all his strength, managed to pull her to safety.