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FIVE MEMBERS RECIEVE HEROIC FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR AWARD AT DELAWARE STATE FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION MEETING
Thursday, September 12, 2019

During the Delaware State Fire Chiefs Association Annual Conference Meeting on Thursday evening September 12th five members of the company were awarded the Heroic Firefighter of the Year Award for their actions at the fatal trailer fire on April 1, 2019 in the Clayton Courts Community. On that day the Clayton Fire Company assisted by mutual aid companies were dispatched for a Residental Structure fire. The Duty Officer Capt. Austin Moorhead arrived within a minute to find a Clayton PD and Smyrna PD officers pulling a mlae victim through a rear bedroom window. The victim advised the officers his mother was still trapped inside. Captain Moorhead immediately done his personal protective gear and breathing apparatus and with the help of the police officers was lifted through the same window the male had come out. Immediately behind Captain Moorhead Engine 45-2. Quint 45 and Engine 45-3 arrived. Past Chief Robert Davis (from Engine 45-2) was placed through the same and along with Capt. Moorhead, under high heat conditions and with the protection of a hoseline, located the female in the rear bedroom. Because of the victims size and difficulty moving her in the tight conditions of the bedroom Captain Jonathan Burnett, Firefighter Jason Sacco (both from Quint 45) and Firefighter David Ross (from Engine 45-3) assisted Capt. Moorhead and PC Davis in moving the victim to the bedroom window passing her through the window to 3 awaiting police officers where care was immediately begun on her. Both of these rescues were completed in under 5 minutes of arrival of the first responder. The female victim succumed to her injuries a month and a half later while the male was released a week later. The Officers and Members would like to congratulate Captain Austin Moorhead, Past Chief Robert Davis, Captain Jonathan Burnett, Firefighter David Ross and Firefighter Jason Sacco on their award. Photo's courtesy Kevin Wilson and Joe Jones.