BRUMMER MEDAL
FIREFIGHTER
CARLOS
R. CAMACHO
LADDER
COMPANY 38

Appointed
to the FDNY November 24, 1973.
Served
in the United States Army 1961-1963, in the 82 Airborne Division
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
9
Resides
in Orange County, NY with wife Aurea and their children Christopher and
Cory.
The late Bertram Brummer and his wife Susie have had a longstanding interest in the FDNY Bertram, a member of the New York Stock Exchange, received training during WWII at the Fire Department College and was assigned to Engine 44, in the Auxiliary Corps. In 1961 Bertram and Susie Brummer endowed this medal to be awarded annually for an act of bravery. Awarded for the first time in 1962.
The
long summer day was drawing to a close. The heat of the day had waned
and a cool evening breeze was beginning to drift through the Belmont
section of the Bronx. The relief was welcome as residents relaxed in
makeshift chairs and on front stoops to partake in idle conversation. On
Crescent Avenue, the evening had barely gotten underway when people
recognized a smell wafting through the air. The all too famillar odor of
burning wood and paint alerted them that something was wrong.
A
few blocks away in the quarters of Ladder 38, the teleprinter sheet
transmitted by the dispatcher's office indicated that a telephone caller
was reporting a fire at 660 Crescent Avenue.
The
firefighters sped to the site with their usual alacrity. As they moved
into the street to stop traffic and pave the way for fire apparatus to
enter, Carlos "Ray" Camacho could see smoke in the sky in the
direction of the address. Assigned the outside ventilation position and
seated facing the direction of the response, he could see a five story,
non fireproof, occupied multiple dwelling with smoke pushing from the
second floor windows. Filling the streets were hysterical occupants
fleeing the building's 30 apartments. Through the screams and chaos,
word got out that people were trapped in the fire apartment.
Springing
into action, Ray quickly sized up the situation. He realized that access
to his assigned position behind the building was going to be extremely
difficult since the rear alley was obstructed by padlocked gates. But
fighting fires in this neighborhood for 13 years taught Ray that there
is usually more than one way to get into a rear yard. Using his powers
of deductive reasoning, he surmised by the layout of the block that an
alley removed from the fire building would permit access to the desired
location.
The
engine company was going to have to fight its way through fire just to
get into position at the apartment door. Even if he were aware of this,
Ray would still have continued his foray into an inferno that was
escalating with each passing second. He pressed on, took one look at the
room he was about to enter and intuitively knew it was only seconds away
from igniting. Undaunted, he lunged into the smoke and dropped to the
floor to get under the heat, hoping that with a little luck he might get
a glimpse of the apartment layout under the smoke. His initial
ventilation efforts provided some visibility. The heated, blinding smoke
was being carried out of the upper part of the broken windows and
replaced by cool air from the outside that flowed into the room and down
to the floor. He quickly scanned the surroundings in order to assess the
situation. Then he noticed a sea of yellow fire in the next room through
the door.Laying on the floor under the encroaching fire was a very young
girl, helpless and motionless. At that moment, his sole purpose was
getting to that child. Ray ignored the fire over his head and in one
deliberate motion, scooped her up and retreated to the fire escape. When
he reached the window he handed the child out to Firefighter Al
Miskiewicz, who in turn passed her down to another firefighter equipped
with a resuscitator. Knowing that the child was in capable hands, Ray
returned to his duties and fulfilled the remainder of his
responsibilities. Four year old Tawana, Ward was eventually transported
to the Hyperbaric Chamber on City Island for treatment of carbon
monoxide poisoning. Ray's split second actions were instrumental in
reestablishing this young girl's vitality.
The
thrill of accomplishing the ultimate act a firefighter can perform is
one that eludes description. Years of training and preparation for such
a task are suddenly consumed in a few short seconds of purposeful
action. Nobody knows the time when they'll be called upon to employ all
of their collective skills to fulfill their sworn duty. But the people
we are honoring today are not among those who simply fulfilled their
responsibilities. These are firefighters who went beyond that point,
risking their lives in the process.
Firefighter Carlos Raymond Camacho entered a burning apartment without the protection of a hose line alone and without knowing the true extent of the fire so that he could save the life of a helpless four‑year old child. She would surely have died were it not for his supreme dedication and willingness to go one step beyond that which was expected. For that, we honor Ray with the Brummer Medal.