Submitted by The 200 Club of Union County
The Two Hundred Club of Union County has announced that seventeen police officers and firefighters, including five members of the Berkeley Heights Fire Department, have been selected for this year’s Annual Valor Awards Luncheon to be held on Friday, May 11, 2018.
Held at Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains the recipients will receive the prestigious Two Hundred Club Medal of Valor for actions above and beyond the call of duty. The 200 Club, a non profit organization founded in 1968, is comprised of 400 business leaders from Union County, NJ, who’s core mission is to provide financially for the widows and dependents of Police Officers and Firefighters who are killed in the line of duty. We have grown in mission to now also provide continuing education grants for police officers and firefighters, and a competitive scholarship program for the deserving children of our uniformed protectors in Union County. More information on our organization can be found at www.uc200club.org.
The keynote speaker will be Patricia Ann Norris-McDonald, Mayor of Village of Malverne. Mrs. McDonald is the widow of Steven McDonald, a NYPD officer who was left quadriplegic in 1986 following a shooting in the line of duty. Steven McDonald died age 59 on January 10, 2017. She had been married to Steven for less than year when the shooting took place. At the time the newlywed was pregnant with the couple’s only child. Six months after the shooting she gave birth to a son, Conor McDonald. Mrs. McDonald co-authored the book, The Steven McDonald Story, with her husband NYPD Detective Steven McDonald and appeared often with him to speak about faith and forgiveness.
The following individuals from the Berkeley Heights Fire Department will be honored for the incidents described:
Battalion Chief Christopher Esposito
Captain Matthew Freudenberger
Lieutenant James Hintze
Firefighter Austin Bucossi
Firefighter Robert Marrese
April 13, 2017
At approximately 1:00 a.m. on April 13, 2017, the Berkeley Heights Fire Department was dispatched to a working house fire. Upon arrival, the unit found a 2-story residential home with heavy smoke showing throughout and a report of at least two elderly persons entrapped inside the residence.
The firefighters entered the premises through the front door. While searching the living room/dining room area with a thermal imaging camera, Lieutenant James Hintze located an unresponsive elderly female victim in a hospital bed in the dining room. Immediately after the first victim was located in the bed, a second elderly victim was located next to the same bed in the dining room by Firefighter Austin Bucossi. Both victims were removed from the burning structure and evacuated to the exterior of the residence by Lieutenant James Hintze, Firefighter Austin Bucossi, Firefighter Robert Marrese and Captain Matthew Freudenberger. Upon assessment, the unit determined the victims to be unresponsive. Once they were removed from the structure, Battalion Chief Christopher Esposito and Firefighter Robert Marrese commenced CPR compressions.
After the first two victims were successfully removed from the property, the department was made aware that a third victim, a caretaker, was likely trapped in the residence. The remaining firefighters rushed inside of the burning structure, and located her on the third floor in a bathroom. She was not responsive. After being removed from the burning residence, the third victim received CPR compressions and first aid from Battalion Chief Christopher Esposito and Firefighter Austin Bucossi. All three victims were transported to the hospital via EMS.
During the course of the rescue, Firefighter Austin Bucossi suffered lacerations and smoke inhalation.
Due to the unit’s hard work, the fire was quickly extinguished. Unfortunately, the two elderly victims succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. The caretaker victim survived after a long recovery.
If it was not for Battalion Chief Christopher Esposito, Captain Matthew Freudenberger, Lieutenant James Hintze, Firefighter Austin Bucossi and Firefighter Robert Marrese exemplary and heroic efforts, it seems certain that all three victims would have been lost to the fire.
The Luncheon is held at Shackamaxon Country Club located at 100 Tillinghast Turn in Scotch Plains on May 11 at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $75 per person and can be obtained on the 200 Club website at www.uc200club.org or by emailing pkozlowski@uc200club.org.
