Title
Proclamation honoring Sergeant Ryan Hanford, Sergeant Richard Klein and Patrolman Robert Lang for their heroic actions of leading Rachel Carson Hall residents to safety after a fire broke out in a sixth-floor apartment.
Body
WHEREAS, on April 30, 2006 a fire broke out on the sixth floor of the Allegheny County Housing Authority's Rachel Carson Hall, a high-rise located at Second Avenue and Wood Street in Tarentum, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, three police officers were first on the scene, Tarentum Sergeant Ryan Hanford, Tarentum Police Officer Robert Lang and East Deer Sergeant Richard Klein. They crawled on their hands and knees in dense black smoke to rescue the residents, many of which are elderly or disabled, and led them to safety; and
WHEREAS, without breathing or protective equipment they successfully evacuated the building, racing back into the smoke and darkness to help more people from the eight-story structure. They also helped displaced residents move to a temporary shelter at the nearby Fraternal Order of Eagles lodge; and
WHEREAS, Eureka Hose Fire and Rescue firefighters had the blaze under control within 20 minutes but Chief Richard Heuser praised the three officers and said that the quick work of the police department helped avert a catastrophe; and
WHEREAS, incredibly, only one man was hurt in the fire, the one living in the sixth-floor apartment where the fire started, suffering minor injuries;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Allegheny County Council hereby recognizes and commends the heroic actions of Tarentum Sergeant Ryan Hanford, Tarentum Police Officer Robert Lang and East Deer Sergeant Richard Klein and for their courageous efforts to save the lives of the residents in Rachel Carson Hall. This Council thanks each of them for their spirit of caring and selflessness, which serves as an inspiration to this Council and to the residents of Allegheny County.