Who's the Real Hero?

So, who’s the real hero in this story? The boy, of course.

Why? What happened you might ask.

Well, how it all happened is not unusual. It started with the old man smoking at his kitchen table while looking at the news on his iPad. He had moved the trash can near his right knee so he didn’t have to walk across the kitchen to throw out his paper plate from breakfast. Unfortunately, his shaking hands accidentally dropped his cigarette into the trash which started the town’s latest fire.

Mr. Wentworth jumped up to call 911, forgetting that he had his cell phone in his hand, and tripped over the dog bowl by the stove. He lay there between the kitchen table and the door to the living room where, just before he passed out, he heard Bosco whining in his locked crate.

Just at that time, Alex Katz was walking to school and saw smoke billowing out of the back of Mr. Wentworth’s old house. He stopped to look at Mr. W’s neighbor, Miss Marjorie, as she ran toward the old man’s house holding her cell phone up in the air as she called 911 and yelled into the phone at the top of her lungs, “There’s a fire at 663 Whitestone Lane! Hurry, I think someone’s inside.”

Alex dropped his backpack on the sidewalk and ran across the street to the front door of the smoking house. Miss Marjorie yelled across her yard, “Don’t go in! Wait for the Fire Department.” Alex, being sixteen, ignored her.

He kicked in the front door and saw smoke approaching him at a rapid rate from the back of the house. He looked around the living room and saw Bosco inside a locked crate by the old man’s favorite chair. Alex called out, “Who’s here? Anyone?’” There was no answer. He ran to the dog crate and started fumbling with the latch. Poor Bosco was whining and softly screaming as if he was in pain … or at least knew of the danger. Alex could hear the fire truck’s siren getting closer and knew there would be help soon. “It’s okay, boy. Help is coming. Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of this thing and you can run outside.”

Suddenly, there was a large, dark figure at the front door that looked like a robot coming toward him. The fireman, Dan Yates, ran into the house and saw Bosco in his crate through the thickening smoke. He didn’t notice the boy hunkered down by the chair due to so much smoke swirling and expanding into all areas. He called out, “Anybody here?”

Alex looked at the figure and said, “I can’t get the latch open … and I think Mr. Wentworth might be in the kitchen. I called for him and, and, and there was no answer. But that’s where the smoke came from.”

Fireman Yates leaned down and lifted the latch, which was stuck, so he kicked the crate to loosen it, which caused Bosco to yowl. This caused Alex to jump back and scream at him, “What are you doing? Can’t you see he’s scared?”

Just then, Bosco squeezed out of the door that had been loosened and gingerly padded over to stand by Alex.

“Get out, kid!” yelled Fireman Yates. “I’ll handle this. Run. Go outside.” He pointed to the front door. Then he did a startling thing. He stood perfectly still with his hands at his side and looked around the room. He didn’t make a move. Alex had been on the football team at school and knew indecision caused by panic when he saw it. He grabbed the fireman’s arm and, as a lamp on a bookcase near the kitchen exploded from the heat and they both jumped, he led Fireman Yates to the kitchen door. It was a bit of a struggle as the older, stronger man pulled back in confusion knocking over a small table which sent books flying in front of them, but Alex got him to the door of the kitchen where they saw Mr. Wentworth lying face down. “Get out! Go!” yelled the fireman. “I’ll get him.”

Alex turned and ran toward the front door with Bosco trailing behind with his head down and his nose almost touching the back of his leg. They burst onto the front porch and stumbled down the steps where fire department personnel were waiting to take Alex to the rescue truck where they gave him oxygen. Bosco turned and ran to Miss Marjorie who grabbed him around his neck and hung tightly onto him while staying in her yard away from the activities.

A crowd and the local TV station were gathered across the street. Alex’s backpack was picked up by a school friend as they all watched the rescue in progress. A second fireman was finally geared up and ran into the house to help Fireman Yates carry the old man out of the house and into the waiting ambulance.

The emergency personnel laid Mr. Wentworth on a stretcher and put him in the ambulance where they treated him for smoke inhalation and called the hospital to arrange for more emergency treatment when they got there. They nodded at Alex and sent a message, via a nearby policewoman, that it looked like Mr. W would pull through. Alex cried. His friend, Julia, ran across the street and hugged him tight. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Alex. You’re such a hero!”

The following week some members of the Fire Department were expected to go to the local high school to give a presentation. It had been scheduled before the recent fire at Mr. Wentworth’s house, and was supposed to highlight the Brass County Fire Department’s services and answer questions about fire protection. The firemen who had been chosen to talk to the teenagers included Dan Yates, the newest fireman on the squad. He had been nervous about speaking in public, but now he felt he had something to say. He felt like a hero.

However, he had heard Julia call Alex a hero and it didn’t set well with him. He was the fireman, after all. He was the life saver. He was the hero. And, besides, it all happened so fast. He was going to have to think about what he would say about all that.

It didn’t help that the fire chief had asked him, after the fire was put out, why the boy and dog ran out of the house just seconds before he came out with the unconscious man. He didn’t want to admit that he had frozen in the confusion. He was up for promotion and had to look good to the chief.

The following week, Fireman Dan Yates was introduced along with others to the high school assembly in the auditorium. He was hailed as the fire department’s most recent hero and given a standing ovation. All the kids had heard about the fire at old Mr. Wentworth’s house and also that Alex and the man and Bosco had been saved. But Fireman Yates hesitated when the teacher, Miss Johnson, said he was a local hero. He saw Alex in the audience and nodded to him. Then he turned to Miss Johnson and said, “Don’t forget your own student, Alex. I have to tell you, and everyone here, that heroes aren’t always on top of their game. They have problems, too. In my case, I had a flashback to when our house caught on fire when I was a kid and I didn’t know what to do. Our cat died in that fire and my baby brother almost died. The firemen were wonderful, but that horrible memory always stuck with me. That’s why I went into firefighting. And, during this rescue, my first rescue, I froze. I froze. I just want you to know that your friend and classmate, Alex, pulled me to the kitchen door, risking his own life, so I could lift Mr. Wentworth up and carry him outside. Alex helped me do my job. He’s the hero.”

“Heroes might have heroic jobs to do, but they aren’t always sure they are going to be able to go through with them. That being said, you might be heroes someday yourselves.”

The assembled students and teachers gave Alex a warm round of applause. He smiled at Julia who was looking at him with a new look in her eyes.

After the assembly was over, Dan walked to his car and saw the fire chief in the parking lot. The chief gave him a thumbs up. And as he opened his car door, Miss Johnson, came up to him and said, “I was very impressed with your talk. It takes a brave soul to admit their fears. I think your talk went over well with the students.”

Dan looked at her upturned face and nodded, “Yes, ma’am and thank you.”