Wednesday, August 09, 2000
Firefighters dispute rescue credit
By Lew Moores
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Fire Division Chief Robert Wright is trying to find out which other firefighters may have been involved in a rescue six years ago that saved the life of a 1-year-old girl.
On Saturday, a reunion was held at a firehouse in Clifton after the father of the rescued girl said he and his daughter wanted to meet the firefighters involved in her rescue.
Walter Smith and his daughter, Beverly Hector, now 6, met Saturday with three firefighters.
But others were probably involved in Beverly's rescue from a third-floor apartment in December 1994.
“It's obvious that there were other people who felt that they were more intimately involved and should have been recognized,” said Chief Wright, who is a cousin of the main firefighter recognized Saturday, Lt. Harold Wright.
Deerfield Township Fire Chief Bill Kramer was an assistant Cincinnati fire chief who was at the scene of the five-alarm Avondale fire. He said the real heroes of the rescue were Lt. Ron Texter, now a fire captain, and two other firefighters.
“I felt there were others who should have been recognized and who were actually in closer to the heat and actually performed the internal rescue by braving the flames inside the building,” Chief Kramer said.
Capt. Texter found in the fire both Beverly and her 2-year-old brother, Walter Hector, who died, said Chief Kramer.
Chief Kramer said two other firefighters — Jay Hauserman and Mark Reussen — were also instrumental in shielding Capt. Texter from the flames.
Chief Wright said that Lt. Wright may have been the firefighter who carried and passed Beverly off to Daryl Bonds, a firefighter on the aerial ladder that day, but Lt. Wright “may not have been the person who found the little girl.”
“We're in the process of trying to discover who all those people were because now they're angry. I don't want firefighters angry. I think we can find a way to assuage some of the feelings and move this issue to closure. We're going to try and make it a more inclusive story.”
What had been planned as a simple reunion began to generate controversy over the past couple days as some firefighters complained about others not getting some of the credit.
Chief Wright was especially angered on Tuesday afternoon over Chief Kramer's involvement in the brouhaha.
“It's not like we gave Lt. Wright an award. We did not,” Chief Wright said.
The reunion was done to honor a request by the father to meet some of those who helped rescue his daughter, he said.
“There's several versions of who did what, and that's what's causing all this furor,” Chief Wright said. “Now we have to sort this out. Now we got people taking sides, and it's truly hurtful.
“There are some people who said, "We searched this room, too, and actually found the little girl.' They may have. I don't refute that.
“I'm so disappointed in Bill Kramer, who was a part of this organization and has now caused a rift in this organization. His level of professional discourtesy is shocking to me. He should be ashamed of himself.”
He said Chief Kramer should have reported firefighters' valor when it occurred. Chief Kramer left the department in January 1995.
“I did not write out any commendations for them, and in retrospect should have,” Chief Kramer said.
Chief Kramer said his main concern is not to slight anyone involved in fighting the fire in which a child died, and which caused $200,000 in damages and displaced about 20 families.
“I think it was probably an oversight, an incomplete awarding of accolades,” Chief Kramer said. “That's the way I would characterize it. My opinion regarding Harold Wright is that he certainly deserves commendation for helping bring the child down the ladder.”
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