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good Samaritan thanked by Westwood fire
department
Community Life
February 15, 2006
Article Submitted by Kevin Brennan (WFD)
WESTWOOD - John Ippolito, of River Vale, was
recognized recently for ensuring the safety of a 3rd Avenue resident whose
apartment was destroyed by a fire that started just before midnight on
Dec. 31.
James Cole, department chief in 2005,
presented Ippolito with a plaque acknowledging the department's
appreciation for his actions that evening. Ippolito, a driver for River
Vale Taxi and Limo at the time, was driving on Third Avenue just as the
countdown in Times Square started signifying a new year.
"I saw smoke in the area and immediately
called my dispatcher. "I think it's on fire, heavy smoke", he told his
office referring to the building on the corner of Third and Elm. "I
remember hearing "Old Lang Syne" on the radio, it had just turned
midnight. I told my dispatcher that I was going to stop looking for my
next address and see if I could help" find where the smoke was coming
from. "My dispatcher told me to do whatever I had to do", said Ippolito.
"First I called 911. I saw some lights on
upstairs and thinking that there was someone home, I started banging on
the locked street door of the apartment. No one came to the door and I was
starting to get frantic. Finally, a man came down the stairs. He fell when
he got near the bottom so, thinking he might be hurt, I was more scared."
The resident told Ippolito that he had smelled smoke and had been checking
the rooms upstairs. Meanwhile, outside the smoke was very heavy. "I told
the guy he had to get out. The smoke was getting worse quickly. "In no
time at all, the fire chief was there, then the police. It was amazing!"
The whole event was a bit strange, noted
Ippolito. "Earlier that day, I received a text message on my phone. I
don't know who it was from and I don't do text messaging." The message
read: "Happy New Year - 2006 will be the year of your life". "It didn't
take long to fulfill that one", said Ippolito. "I've called the number
where the page came from several times since then, but no one has ever
returned my call".
Since his heroic actions that evening,
Ippolito has in fact lost his job due to a reduction in work at River Vale
Taxi and Limo. "Those guys deserve some credit here too, it was a great
place to work", said Ippolito. "My dispatcher was very concerned and let
me stop to help. They always have the best interests of people in mind",
said the former employee.
Former Chief James Cole noted "In a day and
age when most men would not have stopped just because they saw a little
smoke, we commend John Ippolito for his willingness to do the right thing,
for following his instincts and know that the resident sincerely
appreciates John's willingness to put himself in a dangerous situation by
continuing to knock on the door until the resident left the building. His
actions that evening certainly helped insure that the resident made it out
alive."
In fact, the fire moved very fast that
evening, as it often does in older wood-frame dwellings. The cause and
origin of the blaze appears to be accidental and remains under
investigation.
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