(Photo: Quincy police officers Michael Brokmeier, left, and Sean Fitzgerald, right, describe their harrowing rescue of a man from his burning home in West Quincy in August. Credit: Quincy Patriot Ledger Newspaper)
A man is alive today thanks to the bravery of 2 Quincy officersQUINCY – In the early-morning hours, two Quincy police officers were the first to arrive at the scene of a house fire on Rodman Street in West Quincy.
Officers Sean Fitzgerald and Mike Brokmeier pulled up to the two-family home within seconds of each other and saw a young family out on the street, barefoot, the mother holding a newborn, the father beckoning frantically toward the house. The man living in the opposite unit was still inside.
In a daring rescue, the officers entered the home and pulled the man from the smoke-filled kitchen as flames overwhelmed the building Aug. 29.
Fitzgerald and Brokmeier received special commendations from Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy last week in recognition of their bravery in saving the man's life.
The rescue: a hot doorknob, fear of a backdraft, a sledgehammer and lots of smoke "It's the first time in my career I touched a hot doorknob," Fitzgerald said.
Brokmeier said it wasn't the first time he's responded to a fire alarm, but it was the first time in his career he's had to rescue someone from a burning home.
"It's usually food on the stove," he said.
When Fitzgerald touched the doorknob at the front door, he said he knew they couldn't go in that way. He and Brokmeier then walked along the bushes in front of a bay window and looked in.
"It was like a glow through the glass," Brokmeier said.
He said they retrieved breaching tools from the cruiser and went to the back door, where the smoke and heat were less intense, to force an entry.
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