How about this for an act of heroism: Middle Village son Chris Gaulrapp, a member of FDNY Rescue 1 in Manhattan, saved a drowning man on August 30th.

He tells it like this, “We got an alarm for a person in the water at 43rd Street and the Hudson River which is only 2 blocks from our firehouse. When we arrived on scene, I saw civilians and NYPD Patrol Units leaning over the rail advising us that there was a person in the water trying to stay afloat, slowly drifting underneath the pier, and becoming very fatigued. On the way to the call, I had already put on my dry suit, life jacket, and fins, so at that point the rope was clipped to my harness and I jumped 12 feet into the water. I used a flotation device to keep the patient afloat until Engine 54 and Ladder 21 arrived with the ladder. The patient was very appreciative and kept saying thank you. This is all part of the training we go through. Everyone worked together as a team and that is the biggest part of any operation that we do. I was glad I was able to help.”

We are glad you were there to help, too. God bless you. Chris will be the recipient of the Hero Award at our October 18th meeting. Please join us in recognizing his service and heroism.