Huntington Town Firefighters Receive Honors

Two Huntington Town volunteer firefighters were honored at the Suffolk County Medal of Valor ceremony on September 25,2016 which recognized firefighters from throughout the County for their heroic actions and extraordinary service. Ex-Chief Jack Italiano Jr. of the Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department was presented with the Vocational Education and Extension Board’s “Silver Medal of Valor” for his heroic actions at a car accident with a victim trapped. Ex-Chief Scott Dalrymple of the Greenlawn Fire Department received the “Frank L. Obremski Coordinator of the Year Award” for his outstanding service.

On August 28, 2015 at approximately 6:30 p.m., Ex-Chief Jack Italiano Jr. was returning home from the Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department after an earlier alarm, when he encountered a large amount of traffic at the intersection of County Road 108 and Woodbury Road. He was alerted by a bystander that there was a car overturned in the woods with a woman trapped inside.

Ex-Chief Italiano immediately instructed one of the bystanders to call 911 as he entered the woods to evaluate the severity of the accident. When he arrived at the overturned car, he noticed that the driver’s side door was pinned up against a large tree and was unable to be opened. Italiano then tried to enter the vehicle through the passenger side doors but both of them were pinned shut. Without hesitation he entered the vehicle through one of the broken windows despite not having adequate protective equipment.

When Ex-Chief Italiano finally made contact with the victim, he began to converse with her and attempted to evaluate the extent of her injuries. He determined she was very unstable and he needed to initiate a rapid extrication. He then positioned himself with his back lying on the roof of the inverted car and released the victim’s seatbelt in order to remove her from the driver’s seat. In doing so, Italiano was then pinned under the victim, but she was in a safer position for access when the rescue crews were able to force entry into the car.

Due to the severity of the accident and position of the vehicle, rescue efforts were prolonged. Italiano was positioned underneath the victim for approximately 30 minutes as rescue crews utilized Hurst tools in close proximity. The patient’s mental status was rapidly deteriorating throughout the entire rescue operation, however, having Ex-Chief Italiano in contact with the victim and able to give constant updates to the EMS personnel proved vital. Upon extrication, the victim was transported by Suffolk County Police Department helicopter to Stony Brook hospital.

For his heroic efforts under great personal risk, Ex-Chief Jack Italiano Jr., of the Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department, was awarded the Vocational Education and Extension Board’s Silver Medal of Valor.  Ex-Chief Italiano is a 35-year veteran of the fire service, and served as Chief of the Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department in 1991. He is also a former member of both the Huntington and Huntington Manor Fire Departments.

Ex-Chief Scott Dalrymple is a 20-year member of the Greenlawn Fire Department, and served as Chief from 2011-2012. Dalrymple received the “Frank L. Obremski Coordinator of the Year Award” for his outstanding service. Dalrymple is one of five Deputy Fire Coordinators for the Town of Huntington who respond to all major emergencies in the town and county-wide.

CSHFD Italiano Award – Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department Chiefs congratulate Ex-Chief Jack Italiano Jr. displaying his Medal of Valor. From left, are First Assistant Chief Dan Froehlich, Ex-Chief Jack Italiano, Chief Peter Como and Second Assistant Chief Justin Armbruster.

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Dalrymple Medal – Ex-Chief Scott Dalrymple of the Greenlawn Fire Department, right, receives the Frank L. Obremski Coordinator of the Year Award from Nancy Obremski, the widow of Frank Obremski who died in the line of duty in 2014. At left is Suffolk Fire Rescue Deputy Commissioner John Jordan.

Story by Steve Silverman, Photos courtesy Dennis Whittam