Columbus Fire & Rescue Chief Martin Andrews told the Exchange Club that Tommy Massey is his hero.
Massey, a captain in the department, was honored as the 2015 Firefighter of the year Thursday during an Exchange Club meeting.
CFR’s firefighters selected Massey for the award, Andrews said. Each shift selected nominees, and the entire department voted between three finalists. The Exchange Club presented Massey with a plaque, medal and gift card.
Andrews said Massey, during the deadly Oct. 1, 2014, fire at Jamestown Square apartments, threw himself into a dangerous situation to save a woman and her two children trapped on the second floor.
“We have procedures that we go by in the fire department,” Andrews said. “At that time, Tommy threw all procedures down when he saw humans that needed help. With disregard to his safety or anyone else’s safety, Tommy climbed the ladder. I don’t know how he got in the window — I’m assuming he broke it out. He pulled the young ladies from that building within a matter of seconds, singlehandedly.
“He didn’t have a water hose or anything,” Andrews added.
Andrews said Massey then went back into the building, which was completely unfamiliar to him, to search for others who might be trapped. He said Massey not only faced danger due to going into poor conditions in an unfamiliar building, but because fire tends to race to new oxygen sources.
“Tommy had a job and mission to do,” Andrews said. “Can anyone imagine closing your eyes and not being able to see your hand in front of your face and feeling the heat bearing down on your while you’re in there trying to save someone?”
Andrews said Massey and seven other firefighters received statewide recognition earlier in the year.
Massey called Thursday’s award a “humbling” experience, but was quick to point to his fellow firefighters for credit.
“It wasn’t a one-man effort,” he said. “It was a team effort. We’ve been trained on teams our entire career. That night, every guy did their part. It wasn’t a one-man show. It was everybody. I couldn’t have made it without them.”
Andrews said Massey has been in the department for more than 25 years and is the son of a former chief. He said Massey is occasionally teased for being a chief’s son, but has never let it bother him and always focuses on improving himself and those around him.
Even after his bravery during the Jamestown Square fire, Andrews said Massey never took the chance to brag.
“He always said one thing to me: ‘I can do better,'” Andrews said. “That is truly the mark of a great fireman — a person who is unselfish and will put himself in harm’s way for total strangers.”
To hear Massey tell it, he just followed the instincts training has ingrained in him and put his trust in his fellow firefighters.
“Basically, the training kicked in and I just did what I was trained to do,” he said. “I had a bunch of good guys behind me — I knew they were there for me and that meant everything. As long as I’ve got my guys with me, I’m good.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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