Heroes are in the right place at the right time

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
mireporter@mac.com

Jacob Tardiff and David Nicosia were honored for their quick action in saving the lives of their neighbor by Milton Fire Chief Don Turner Jr.

Jacob Tardiff and David Nicosia aren’t on the Milton Rescue squad, but they had a major “save” last summer.

The pair of seventeen-year-olds responded to cries for help and saved a woman and her family from a burning apartment on Aug. 1. The duo’s courage and quick thinking were later singled out for praise before the Selectboard by Rescue Administrator Don Turner.

“Those two guys are absolutely lifesavers, under any definition in my mind,” he said.

Prior to the rescue, the teens were working on a sunroom in the North Road home of Tardiff’s mother. Tardiff was outside to get a ladder when he heard a woman yelling for help from the nearby house.

The woman, Evana Burnell, had been napping with her family and awoke to find that they were trapped by fire on the second floor of her apartment. She was able to lower her children, ages one to four, down to Tardiff, but could not get out the narrow window. That impasse was solved by Nicosia, who had sprinted to a nearby barn and retrieved a ladder and an ax.

Meanwhile, Tardiff’s mother had called the Fire Department and they arrived shortly after to put out the fire. The fire was reportedly caused by an unsupervised minor in the home.

Just under three weeks later, another group of neighbors across town earned a “save” as well. This time the venue was Cold Spring Road, where part-time resident George Bryson was on-hand to pull neighbor Mike Adams out of Lake Champlain when his canoe capsized.

Adams, a self-described weak swimmer, wasn’t breathing when Bryson got him to shore. Bryson used CPR training he learned 50 years before in the Boy Scouts to try and revive his friend.

Bryson shouted for help and was heard by his neighbor Sean Buturla, who was out wake-boarding with his girlfriend. As a first-year medical student, Buturla has had more recent CPR practice, though he admitted that was the first time he’d used it on a person.

Bryson and Buturla were also thanked by Turner before the Selectboard later that month. Turner underscored the importance of immediate efforts by the neighbors when he noted the logistics of getting an ambulance across town.

“Rescue did a great job…but if it wasn’t for those two gentlemen, I know for a fact that Mr. Adams wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

While those neighbors happened to be in the right place at the right time, Milton Rescue fielded the vast majority of calls, with over 800 in 2007.

Those figures are up slightly from the year before, and to meet that challenge, Milton Rescue has roughly doubled its membership in the past year from 16 to 32, said Turner.

( Photo, above) Mike Adams, right, was saved from drowning by his neighbor George Bryson who risked his own life to bring Adams ashore. Bryson called for help as he started CPR and one neighbor Sean Buturla, a first year medical student took over the CPR as another Olga Dziewiecka called 911. Buturla and Dziewiecka are shown with Adams in photo below.

Those contributors are greatly appreciated, added Turner: While team members get a small per-call stipend (about $20), he said they aren’t in it for the money.

“I would consider it volunteerism,” he said. “Everybody loves what they do, and they’re helping out their neighbors and the community.”

While membership has risen since Turner took over as Rescue Administrator in July, he said the service still relies heavily on a handful of stalwarts to provide coverage during the week and could use reliable help there.

“That will be an area we’ll be looking at this coming fiscal year,” he said.

Overall, Turner said those involved with public safety deserve a lot of credit for putting their lives on the line each day, and added Milton has shown strong support for its rescuers.

“It’s very important for our organization whether it be fire or rescue, to recognize a citizen who goes above and beyond to help another citizen,” he said, “It’s important to recognize people who step up like that.”