6 Firefighters From Ladder Company 54 Honored For Saving Boy From Icy Bronx River

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Six New York City firefighters from Ladder Company 54 were honored Wednesday for their heroic acts and outstanding community service while in the line of duty.

As 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported, the way firefighters Chris Harkinish and Kevin Hillman see it, they just did what they are paid to do when they rescued a boy off a thin piece of ice in the Bronx River under the Westchester Avenue Bridge and the Bruckner Expressway.

But Liberty Mutual insurance company believes they went above and beyond the call of duty. Company spokesman Damion Delcorsano presented the pair and four others with the prestigious Firemark Award during a luncheon.

"It's a local Firemark Award recognizing firefighters who go above and beyond the call of duty," Delcorsano said.

Hillman told D'Auria he remembers the Bronx River was icy cold that January day and the boy looked frightened.

"When I was approaching him, the ice was breaking," Hillman recalled. "It wasn't holding my weight, and he started to walk toward me. And I told him to just stay where he was until we got the ladder in position to take him out."

Harkinish said the boy was about to fall through the ice if they hadn't come along when they did.

"The water moves pretty fast there, and with his clothes -- he was wearing a heavy, heavy jacket and sneakers -- he would have gone straight down, and would have been sucked back into the Bronx River," Harkinish said.

Fortunately, the boy was brought to safety, and he and his friend were taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where they were treated and released several hours later.