Henry D. Brookman Medal LIEUTENANT GREGORY J. PRIAL LADDER COMPANY 43 March 3, 2009, 0230 hours, Box 75-1318, 333 East 108th Street, Manhattan Appointed to the FDNY on September 5, 1981. Previously assigned to Ladder 7. Father, FF Philip Prial, is retired from Rescue 1 and cousin, FF Steve Brooks, is retired from Ladder 112. Member of the Emerald and Holy Name Societies. Served with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1977 to 1981. Recipient of the Vincent Kane Medal in 2006, three Class As, a Class B and a unit citation. Resides in Warwick, New York, with his wife, Anne, and their children, Rebecca, Terence, Danny, Brigid and Jennifer.
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he date was Tuesday, March 3, 2009; the time was 0229 continue on through the burning living room and into the adjahours. The members of Ladder 43, commanded by cent rear bedroom, where he discovered a victim. Lieutenant Gregory Prial, found themselves racing Lieutenant Prial found Loria Cavicchi, unconscious and through the streets of Spanish Harlem to a reported fire on the burned, lying face down on the bedroom floor. After transmittop floor of 333 East 108th Street. The fire building was a six- ting a 10-45 to Battalion Chief John Hilley, Battalion 12, the story, non-fireproof, multiple dwelling, erected in 1900, which Lieutenant found the bedroom window blocked by a gate, was completely renovated between 1997 and 1999. Ladder 43 negating its use as a rapid egress to the fire escape. With the was assigned first-due. fire rapidly approaching the flashover stage and FF Hemsley Arriving at the reported address with a response time of down to the last available water from the extinguisher, less than four minutes, Ladder 43 members were met by a Lieutenant Prial decided to drag the victim back through the handful of tenants reporting a fire on the sixth floor. The inside living room’s progressively worsening conditions. team, consisting of Lieutenant Prial and FFs John Hemsley The Officer dragged the victim approximately 30 feet (the extinguisher position) and John Haseney (the irons posi- down the apartment hall where he was joined by FF Haseney. tion), were ascending the stairs when they encountered more With Lieutenant Prial in the lead, they removed the victim fleeing occupants, also reporting a fire on the sixth floor. from the burning apartment into the public hallway and into Lieutenant Prial ordered his chauffeur to transmit a 10-75. the hands of the CFR Engine (Engine 35). These members The inside team arrived at the sixth-floor landing and it worked to revive the now non-breathing and pulse-less Ms. was readily apparent from the soot around the edges of the door Cavicchi. Once revived, EMS personnel transported her--with and heavy, black smoke pushing through the cracks of the door burns on her hands and face and suffering from smoke inhalaframe that the fire was in apartment 6B. Figuring there was a tion--to Cornell Burn Center. real possibility of someone being in the apartment, the fireLieutenant Prial risked passing the fire to get to the rear fighting team of Hemsley and Haseney made quick work of bedroom, only to be forced to return through the same area forcing open the locked apartment door. The Lieutenant then again, with the unconscious victim, under worsening conditions. led the team into zero visibility and a significant heat condition. All of these actions took place prior to a hose-line being placed The renovations of this building included thermo-paned win- into operation. Division 3 Deputy Chief Daniel Donohue’s dows, which--at this point--had not failed, contributing to the investigative report reads: Lieutenant Prial harsh conditions encountered. demonstrated...courage, ability and Faced with a rapidly deterioratinvaluable experience. Lieutenant ing fire condition, Lieutenant Prial Prial undoubtedly saved Ms. directed FF Haseney to search Cavicchi’s life. toward the front of the apartment, Lieutenant Gregory Prial’s expewhile he and FF Hemsley searched rience, aggressive search, disregard down the interior hallway. While for his own safety and passing the searching, they found the living room fire without the protection of a fully involved and the main body of charged hose-line twice all reflect the fire obstructing the entrances to the finest traditions of the FDNY. It is for two bedrooms. The Officer directed his actions and those attributes that FF Hemsley to use the extinguisher he is awarded the Henry D. in an attempt to confine the fire. This Lieutenant Gregory Prial (second from left) is surrounded by Brookman Medal.--SM action allowed Lieutenant Prial to the proud crew of Ladder 43.
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FIRE DEPARTMENT, CITY OF NEW YORK • MEDAL DAY 2010