After being alerted to a nearby fire, students who had just graduated from Port Jefferson High School on Long Island, New York, put out a fire after walking the stage to claim their diplomas.
Kasumi Layne-Stasik, Shane Hartig, Ryan Parmegiani, Andrew Patterson, Peter Rizzo, and Hunter Volpi were identified by their principal, Eric Haruthunian.
While the graduates were taking photos with their family and friends shortly after the ceremony, the fire siren sounded three times.
Their cellphones began vibrating and sounding alerts.
Upon realizing it wasn’t a routine check, the students dropped what they were doing and rushed to the firehouse a few blocks away.
“We stripped off our gowns while wearing our gowns, and our diplomas were still with us,” Rizzo, 17, said on Good Morning America. “I didn’t realize I still had my tie on.”
To respond to a structure fire call at one of their classmates’ homes, two rode in the first engine and four on a ladder truck.
According to Christian Neubert, the chief of the Port Jefferson fire department, the student had just returned home from the ceremony.
As the first person in the garage, Rizzo was responsible for commandeering a nozzle, a key role that he played at the scene. There were a number of people who assisted in tearing apart walls and ceilings in order to look for hidden spots where the fire might have still been burning or could catch fire in the future.
“It was just an adrenaline rush,” said Patterson, an 18-year-old who helped control the hose during the fire. There aren’t a lot of real working fires around here, so it was very exciting to have one here.”
The group’s quick actions put out the fire quickly in Arlington Avenue’s detached garage. No one was injured.
It was nice and calm. No one was running. According to Neubert, there was no yelling going on. “Everything was really impressive.”
During the night before graduation, the students joked about what they would do if a fire broke out in town. It never occurred to them that it would actually happen.
Their credibility increased immediately because they handled the emergency in a very professional and safe manner,” Neubert said.
Next time we have another emergency like that, these guys will be held in higher regard.”
At 14, most of the six students joined the fire department’s junior volunteer program. Since turning 17, they have been full-fledged volunteers.
The firehouse provided extensive training, including most Sundays. On some days, they train at the Suffolk County Fire Academy in Yaphank.
But you can’t tell how someone is going to perform until they do it,” he said. “I’m so proud of them.”
They said they didn’t mind at all that their graduation didn’t go as planned.
At the fire, I got more pictures than at graduation. Overall, I definitely remember it as a cool memory and a cool story to tell people,” Parmegiani, 18, said.
Students were commended for their heroic actions by the Port Jefferson Fire Department.
PJFD responded to a garage fire on Arlington Avenue just after 7:30 last evening, the department wrote on Facebook.
“Six of the firefighters responded had just graduated from Port Jefferson School District. While taking pictures with their families, they responded to the firehouse to handle the alarm.”
These young volunteers deserve kudos for their heroic efforts and motivation to serve!
article source : mypositiveoutlooks.com
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