NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal 2016 – Lieutenant Brian J. Colleluori
James Gordon Bennett Medal
NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal
Lieutenant Brian J. Colleluori
FDNY Ladder Company 174
February 1, 2015, 0323 hours, Box 22-2234, Brooklyn
Appointed to FDNY as an Emergency Medical Technician on June 22, 1999, and promoted to Firefighter on October 28, 2001. Previously assigned to Engine 46 and Ladder 27. Father, Lieutenant Joseph R. Colleluori, Jr., Engine 324, is deceased, following WTC illness. Recipient of a unit citation and a pre-hospital save. Holds an AS degree from Nassau Community College. Resides in Bethpage, Long Island, with his wife, Joeline, and their daughters, Saige and Lexi, and sons, Joseph and Jax.
At 0323 hours, Engine 310 and Ladder 174 received a call for a fire in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. It was a three-story Canarsie apartment building, attached to a similar dwelling on the left or exposure #2 side. The heavy, black smoke pouring from the first and second floors indicated a serious fire condition.
Lieutenant Brian Colleluori, Ladder 174, approached the building with FFs Kevin Koster, with the can, and William Duffy, with forcible entry tools. The exterior garage door was open and deadly smoke pushed through the space between the interior garage door and the door jamb. Firefighters Koster and Duffy went to work, forcing the interior door.
Lieutenant Colleluori opened the unlocked door under the front stoop and was met with heavy, pressurized smoke and high heat.
He heard the signal 10-70 (water supply delay likely) transmitted by Engine 310’s chauffeur. His outside vent Firefighter alerted him to heavy fire blowing out the building’s rear windows. Lieutenant Colleluori entered the building, initiating a search for trapped occupants. Advancing 25 feet into the blinding smoke and high heat, he found the unconscious form of a man lying on the floor.
After transmitting a signal 10-45 to alert Battalion Chief John McKeon, Battalion 58, Lieutenant Colleluori began dragging the man toward the interior garage door, which had been forced open. Moving the victim was difficult because of his large size.
Meeting up with his interior team, they completed removal to the street. Still operating without a protective hand-line, Lieutenant Colleluori returned to his search, toward the rear of the building, where he encountered an unconscious female. As fire rolled over the Lieutenant’s head, he transmitted a second 10-45 signal. Now, forced to his knees by the brutal heat, Lieutenant Colleluori began to drag this second victim toward the front of the building.
Conditions deteriorated and quickly approached flashover conditions. The increased heat drove the Lieutenant down onto his stomach. Lieutenant Colleluori’s progress was slow as he dragged her, from his knees to safety.
Fire now was only two feet from the floor and no further progress to the exit was possible. Lieutenant Colleluori put himself at risk by shielding the victim from the heat by lying on top of her. He called for a hose-line or extinguisher to protect them. The fire, rolling above the pair, extended for 27 feet and vented out of the exterior garage door in the front of the building. FF Koster crawled in under the flames with his extinguisher and expelled its entire contents into the fire area. He was followed by the Officer and Firefighters of Engine 310, dragging their charged hose-line with them. They pushed back the fire, allowing Lieutenant Colleluori and FF Koster to pull the victim down the narrow hall, leading to the under stoop exit. Lieutenant Colleluori’s quick and decisive actions saved the
man’s life. The victim was removed to the hospital and treated for burns. The Officer’s decision to remain and protect the woman was made despite adverse conditions and the absence of a hose-line. Regrettably, she later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. Lieutenant Colleluori’s turnout coat was sent
to the Safety Battalion. It was condemned after determining that it had been exposed to temperatures
at or above 1,000 degrees, a strong indication of the danger the Lieutenant faced.
The bravery and perseverance of Lieutenant Brian J. Colleluori exemplify the highest FDNY traditions of courage, dedication, and service, making him eminently worthy of the James
Gordon Bennett Medal/ NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal