LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Assistant Chief Timothy R. Ellis upon
the occasion of being named FASNY's 2009 "Firefighter of the Year"

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and honor
those individuals within our midst who selflessly serve their communi-
ties and safeguard the residents of our great State; and
WHEREAS, One such individual is Assistant Chief Timothy R. Ellis of
the North Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department, who will be honored as
FASNY's 2009 "Firefighter of the Year" at the 137th Annual Firemen's
Association of the State of New York Convention on August 20, 2009, at
the Crowne Plaza Hotel, located in Niagara Falls, New York; and
WHEREAS, At the convention, Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis will be
recognized for his swift actions taken on July 9, 2008, to remove a
trapped fire victim and save his life; Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis'
failure or delay in taking these actions would have led to a much more
tragic outcome; he should be commended for his heroic rescue; and
WHEREAS, Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis responded to a reported struc-
ture fire, and upon arrival, confirmed that it was a working fire; after
being advised of a trapped occupant, Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis radi-
oed in the information and entered the building to locate the trapped
occupant; and
WHEREAS, Upon entry, Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis was confronted with
heavy smoke and fire; he continued to search for the victim as condi-
tions in the building began to deteriorate; and
WHEREAS, After crawling through extreme heat and thickening smoke,
Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis became disoriented and called for a
"Mayday", however, drawing upon his experience and training, he was able
to reorient himself and continue his search for the victim; and
WHEREAS, Upon locating the victim, who then became unconscious,
Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis assessed the room and discovered that the
window within the room was unusually small and high off the floor,
making a window rescue extremely difficult at that point; and
WHEREAS, Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis made the decision to remove the
victim via the interior stairway; by that time, other units had arrived
on the scene and were able to assist Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis in
maneuvering the unconscious victim down two flights of stairs and turn-
ing him over to the medical personnel who were waiting to treat the
victim and transport him to the hospital; within an hour, the victim was
breathing on his own and undergoing treatment at University Hospital; he
was released from the hospital the next day; and
WHEREAS, As a result of Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis' act of courage,
at extreme personal risk, he was able to locate and remove a trapped
fire victim and save his life; Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis should be
commended for his exemplary act of valor and bravery; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Assistant Chief Timothy Ellis upon the occasion of being named
FASNY's 2009 "Firefighter of the Year"; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Assistant Chief Timothy R. Ellis.