Just after roll call on the evening of July 24, 1998, FF George "Spanky" Shea smirked, twisted his mustache and looked over to his friend, FF Michael "Fish" King, with delight and said, "You and me tonight on the inside, Fish." The two have been fighting fires at Engine Company 255 and Ladder Company 157 in Flatbush together for more than 15 years and, on this night--like so many others before--the two made up the vital "irons team," the heart of any ladder company. FF Shea had the irons while FF King had the can.

The two have come to rely on each other so many times and have forged a relationship to which few outside the firehouse can relate. Spanky and Fish have done everything together, from washing dishes and mopping floors in the firehouse to forcing doors and pulling ceilings at fires. Over the past two decades, the two have celebrated the births of one another´s children and mourned the loss of dear friends. On this night, however, the two would do something they never before had done together--save the lives of two little girls--cousins--from certain death in a fire.

At about 11 p.m., the bells rang and Engine 255 and Ladder 157 responded to a report of a fire at 600 East 21st Street. Just seconds away from the scene, FFs Shea and King could hear Engine 255 give a 10-75 over the Department radio for a fire on the fourth floor. As they arrived, the two FFs and covering Captain Michael McGrath were met by a frantic woman, screaming that children were trapped inside her fourth-floor apartment.

FF Shea and the others quickly made their way up the stairs, passing Engine 255´s nozzle team, frantically stretching a hose-line from the street. As they reached the fourth floor, they could hear Ladder 157´s outside vent man, FF Mark D´Avino, report that fire was venting out two windows of the apartment, while heavy smoke was pushing from the remaining two windows.

As they approached the apartment door through the heavy smoke, they could see the limp body of Captain Jack Pritchard of Engine 255 squirm out of the apartment. FFs Shea and King quickly came to his aid and helped remove the infant he had just rescued. FF King then picked up the severely burned little girl and carried her down the stairs to safety, below the fire.

Meanwhile, FF Shea and Captain McGrath made their way into the apartment to search for any other trapped victims. Forced onto his belly by the high heat and thick smoke, FF Shea entered the apartment and quickly moved down the hallway, past the bedroom with the main body of fire, toward a second bedroom, just as fire was extending down this same hallway. As he reached the back bedroom, he placed his right hand on the wall to get his bearings. As he did this, he heard the whimper of a child.

He quickened the pace of his search to find the victim. But the search was difficult because the room was cluttered with furniture. Groping through the heavy smoke, FF Shea reached the far end of the room and felt the body of a child, huddled on the floor. He turned his flashlight on her to see if she was still alive and the girl, barely conscious, began sobbing. With no time to calm her fears, FF Shea quickly picked her off her feet and dashed back toward the apartment entrance. But as he made his way back down the hall, he could feel the fire´s searing heat through his protective bunker gear. Thinking only of the safety of his victim, FF Shea shielded the little girl from the flames with his body as he passed the main body of fire for the second time. He then removed her to the floor below the fire, where she was reunited with her family before being transported to the hospital. The courage, dedication and self-sacrifice that FF George Shea displayed in making this rescue should be viewed as a model for others to emulate. He came to the aid of a fellow firefighter removing an infant from an apartment fire, before then proceeding into the apartment and passing the main body of fire to remove a second trapped member of the family. His actions were truly in the highest traditions of this Department.