North Bergen native and North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue firefighter Al Salvesen wasn’t scheduled to work last Oct. 12, but when he was called and asked if he wanted to work an overtime shift, he accepted, even if it meant working with a different battalion.
Little did Salvesen know that the overtime shift would turn out to be a fateful night that would change his life forever.
While on duty, Salvesen was called to fight a fire at 820 Palisade Ave. in Union City at 4 a.m. A three-story row house was engulfed in flames, with the flames visibly coming from the roof. Firefighters quickly realized that the fire was extending into an adjacent apartment complex next door.
While other firefighters concentrated on hose duty, Salvesen and then-Lt. Joseph Lavelle went into the apartment to look for people who were possibly trapped in the burning building.
“Captain Lavelle did the primary search,” Salvesen said. “Since we had worked together previously in North Bergen and I knew that he had 28 years of service on the job, I felt safe and secure going in with him and I trusted his knowledge. I was hoping that I wasn’t going to find anyone, but at that time, instincts just took over. You don’t think of anything else, except wanting to save anyone who might have been in there. I was just doing my job, doing what I was trained to do.”
Sure enough, Salvesen found an unconscious man in one of the apartments, who was already severely injured by the flames and smoke.
“There was a lot of smoke and high heat,” Salvesen said. “I found the man and he was a very big guy. I tried to get him out myself, but he was dead weight and hard to maneuver.”
Salvesen called upon the services of Lavelle, as well as fellow NHRFR firefighters Captain Richard Preciose and Firefighter Eric Winters, both of whom are Union City natives.
The four men were able to carry the unconscious man out of the burning building, perilously and carefully moving through walls of flame. They brought the man to safety. He was immediately treated by firefighter Michael Voicu and Police Officer Raul Rodriguez, who performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
“The man was actually dead when we brought him out of the building,” Salvesen said. “He was badly burned and had seared lungs. He was not breathing, so they performed CPR to bring him back.”
The man was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center and later, the burn unit of St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was treated and subsequently released.
“I never had a chance to speak with him,” Salvesen said. “My wife wanted me to call him, to see how he was, but I didn’t want to bother him. However, as long as the guy was saved and he’s all right today, then I’m happy. We all joined together to save the man’s life. That night, we all performed well together.”
Wednesday, Salvesen, Lavelle, Preciose and Winters were recognized for their bravery under fire, by receiving the Valiant Teamwork Award from the 200 Club of Hudson County at the organization’s 17th Annual Valor Awards Luncheon, held at the Chart House Restaurant in Weehawken.
The quartet of NHRFR members were among four groups who received the Valiant Teamwork Awards, including a group of Bayonne police officers, a group of Jersey City firefighters and a group of Kearny firefighters.
The late Michael Hulings, a Jersey City fire captain, was presented with the individual Valor Award posthumously.
According to 200 Club Vice-President Jeff Welz, who is the co-director of the NHRFR and the director of public safety in Weehawken, the 200 Club was organized many years ago simply to help the widows and children of public safety officers (police and firefighters) who lost their lives while on duty.
But the club has expanded into the awards luncheon and presentation, as well as several college scholarships presented to the children of police officers and firefighters, as long as they meet high standards for academic excellence, exemplary character, outstanding potential and financial need.
And the significance of the 200 Club comes from the $200 dues that members are asked to present – both when the club was initiated in 1984 and still today. The 200 Club of Hudson County is one of 15 such clubs in New Jersey.
“When it first started, it was designed to provide money to the families, in order to handle the financial burden of a sudden loss,” Welz said. “But over the years, it has evolved into the awards and scholarships. This year, we gave nearly $15,000 in scholarships. It really has evolved from humble beginnings and we’re able to recognize the life-saving valor of the public safety officers.”
Added Welz, “So many times, the events that make the headlines concerning the police and firefighters are when they get into trouble or something bad takes place. No one recognizes when someone goes above and beyond the call of duty and saves a human life. It’s a chance to show the great things that the public safety officers do in Hudson County.”
The 200 Club presented scholarship awards to Brian Gleason, Tara Gregorio, Kimberly Hulings and Nicole Mulligan. In addition, the Jersey City Fraternal Order of Police awarded scholarships to Michael Carattini, Dina DiFranco, Lisa Mariski and Evan Visone.
Welz said that he was particularly proud that members from the NHRFR were among those recognized. “I’m very proud of the members of the regional who received the honors,” Welz said. “I feel quite honored to be associated with them.”
Salvesen said that he never expected to receive the honor.
“Some guys go through a 30-year career and never get the opportunity to get called on to save a life,” Salvesen said. “Not too many people recognize when we do our job. It’s usually in the middle of the night and it doesn’t get the attention. It is gratifying to be recognized by your peers for a job well done. You hope that you don’t have to save a life and you hope no one ever is in danger, but when you’re called upon, you have to be ready. Besides the birth of my daughter, this is the best thing that has happened to me. It really is a good feeling.”