Firefighters honor teen hero, a few of their own

10/26/2007

By Phil Helsel , Register Staff

MILFORD - As two lines of tall, uniformed firefighters stood at either end of the City Hall auditorium Thursday night, 13-year-old Austin Lathrop barely stood as tall as the podium.

But after the East Shore Middle School student was honored by the Fire Department at its annual awards ceremony for saving his father's life, the crowd leapt to its feet in applause. Austin was one of three people not in the fire service so honored.

"I think it was great that they gave it to me," Austin said. Asked if he felt like a hero, he said, "Yeah."

Austin, then 12, came upon his father, William Walkley, unconscious and suffering from a heart attack at their Orland Street home in March. Austin had just been taught to do CPR by a nurse from the Hospital of Saint Raphael during a class presentation, and went to work while ordering his brother to flag down rescue crews.

"Unbelievable," Walkley said. "From what I understand, it was down to seconds. It was as close as it could have been."

Others honored included Firefighter Ryan LaGuardia, 34, who joined five other new firefighters sworn in Thursday evening.

LaGuardia, who has been on the force as a probationary firefighter for a year, became the first ever to receive the statewide Mike Reilly Hard Charger Award, so named for a Stratford firefighter who moved to New York and died battling a fire there last year.

"It's an honor; I just hope I can live up to the reputation," LaGuardia said. The award recognizes the work ethic and determination that friends and co-workers say Reilly demonstrated, and is given to top recruits.

In addition to LaGuardia, the recruits who passed probation were Eric Mohr, Daniel Talaniec, Adam Hansen, Michael Geanocopoulos and Kyle Wengenroth.The department also recognized the promotion of four others: Battalion Chief William Healey, Superintendent of Apparatus Lawrence Lester, Assistant Superintendent of Apparatus David Eisenhandler and Capt. Daniel DelVecchio.

It also recognized Geanocopoulos and Capt. Gary Baker for bravery, for continuing to check a collapsed Merwin Avenue building for survivors in April, even though they were given the option to pull out; and several crews of firefighters who helped free an injured worker trapped in machinery under the Washington Bridge in May.

Phil Helsel can be reached at 876-3028 or at phelsel@nhregister.com.