This is the original News article as it appeared in
Newsday on November 27, 1988
Firefighter Dies in Blaze
16 others injured as building burns in Port Washington
By Dele Olojede and Kathy Boccella
A firefighter was killed and 16 others injured in a blaze
that gutted a building in downtown Port Washington and left two
families homeless yesterday, authorities said. Robert
Dayton, 28, a New York City firefighter
and a lieutenant with the Port Washington Fire Department, died
while searching for tenants in three second-floor apartments,
said Supervisor Charles Parker of the Nassau County Fire
Communications Center.
"He was commanding a search-and-rescue team, and because of
the fire and the construction of the building he became
disoriented," Parker said. "There was a maze of hallways and
turns, and he just got really lost and became trapped and
eventually ran out of air." The fire, which broke out in the
rear of the first floor in an antique store called The Cat Lady,
has been labeled suspicious, Nassau County Assistant Fire
Marshall Robert Doran said. An investigation by the fire
marshal's office is continuing.
Fourteen firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and
minor cuts at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn and released. One
was admitted in fair condition and another was transported to
North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset with second-degree
burns on his legs, officials said. Commenting on the high
number of injuries, Port Washington Fire Chief Charles Lang
said, "It was a tough fire. . . . It was a long operation. Guys
went down, some of them trying to rescue other firemen." The
fire broke out at 7:30 a.m. and destroyed the antique store and
three apartments at 165 Main St. before it was brought under
control three hours later.
Lt. Silvio DiLucia of the Port Washington Police Department
said the owner of the antique store called police at 7:30 a.m.
to report the fire. The owner was at her home but had been
alerted to the fire by an alarm system, he said. Police
evacuated five people from the apartments before firefighters
arrived at the scene. One apartment was vacant.
The fire sent thick smoke billowing from the roof of the
brick building and caused traffic snarls in the busy downtown
area. Motorists were detoured onto side streets and shops on
both sides of the building remained closed throughout the day.
The windows of the antique store were shattered, exposing
blackened merchandise.
Eighty firefighters from two departments responded to the
blaze. Dayton, married and the father of an 11-month-old girl,
died at St. Francis Hospital. His death, the first for the
village department in over 40 years, left his colleagues stunned
and grief-stricken. "He was a great guy," said Port Washington
Fire Marshal Joseph Fico. "He was very active and dedicated and
he knew what he was doing." After the fire was quelled,
firefighters stood quietly outside the charred building. "I
can't talk about it. If I start, I'll . . . " one fireman said,
his eyes filling with tears.
Last night, four generations of Dayton's family, along with
close friends, gathered at his parents' house in Port Washington
to comfort each other. His wife, Pamela, a medical student, said
that when she saw the fire department chaplain come up their
driveway, "I knew."
Dayton, who attended Paul B. Schreiber High School and
studied computers at Nassau Community College, always wanted to
be a firefighter, said his brother, James. At age 18, he joined
the Port Washington department as a volunteer. Three years ago,
he was accepted for an appointment as a New York City
firefighter. "That was one of his proudest days," said James
Dayton. Robert Dayton was assigned to a fire company in Queens.
Pamela Dayton said she and her husband attended his 10th high
school reunion Friday night and planned to attend hers last
night.
A viewing for Dayton will be held today from 7-9 p.m. and
tomorrow from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at the Port Washington
firehouse on Port Washington Boulevard. On Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
there will be a service at the firehouse. Burial is at Nassau
Knolls Cemetery, Port Washington.
The fire proved tragic, as well, for the families who were
left without shelter last night. Building resident Rosemary
Slavinsky said she was working at a nearby restaurant when her
18-year-old son John came running in, barefoot and shirtless, to
tell her their apartment was on fire. "We lost everything. We
have no insurance," she said, sobbing as she looked at the
building from across the street. John Slavinksy said he was
awakened by the smell of smoke and the sound of a smoke alarm.
He ran out of his apartment and helped police evacuate his
neighbors, he said.
"Thank God for the smoke detector," said his mother. "I just
got it, too." She said she and her son planned to stay with
friends last night. A neighbor, Bobby Heimiller, said he was
asleep when his mother "pulled me up and threw me out" of their
apartment. Standing in a nearby flower shop where he and his
parents had taken refuge, the 10-year-old cuddled his black cat,
Puff, which was rescued by a firefighter.
Copyright 1988, Newsday Inc.
Dele Olojede, Kathy Boccella, Firefighter Dies in Blaze 16
others injured as building burns in Port Washington.,
11-27-1988, pp03.
This is the original News article as it appeared in
Newsday on April 12, 1989
Posthumous Medal of Valor for
Firefighter
By Stuart Vincent
Lt. Robert Dayton Jr., the Port
Washington firefighter who was killed last November fighting an
arson fire in a Main Street building, has been posthumously
awarded the gold medal of valor by the Nassau County Fire
Commission.
In addition to Dayton's posthumous award to be presented to
his family, three other firefighters will receive the gold medal
of valor at the commission's annual awards ceremony tonight at
the Sherman Van Ness Sr. Fire Station Hall in Uniondale.
Eight other Port Washington firefighters, including Scott
Wood, who was Dayton's partner as they searched a burning Port
Washington building for occupants, and the Port Washington Fire
Medic Company No. 1 will be honored for their actions at the
fire. Wood will receive the gold medal of valor.
Dayton, 28, a professional firefighter in Queens and a
10-year volunteer with Port Washington, died of smoke inhalation
on Nov. 26 while checking for occupants in four second-floor
apartments above The Cat Lady antique shop in Port Washington.
Investigators found that the fire had been set in the rear of
the store with a flammable liquid, probably acetone. No arrests
have been made in the case.
Dayton and Wood became disoriented by the intense heat and
smoke in the building and were unable to find their way back
outside, investigators said. Alarms on both firefighters'
portable breathing units had sounded, and Dayton called in a
"Mayday" over his radio, sending other firefighters racing into
the building. Wood was able to jump through a window onto a fire
escape, but Dayton's air ran out before firefighters could reach
him.
Repeated efforts to rescue Dayton were unsuccessful because
of the intense heat and smoke.
Thomas J. Murray Jr., Harold Carver and Vincent Costa will be
presented with silver medals, and Andy Bellini, John Olszewski,
William G. Zwerlein and Philip Poullada will receive bronze
medals for their efforts to rescue their fallen comrade.
Fire Medic Company No. 1, which provides emergency medical
service for the Port Washington department, treated and
transported to area hospitals 17 firefighters injured at the
Main Street blaze. The company was cited for its "extraordinary
teamwork and professionalism."
<remainder of non-related article
omitted>
Copyright 1989, Newsday Inc.
Stuart Vincent, Posthumous Medal of Valor for Firefighter.,
04-12-1989, pp 27. |
