On August 30, 1999, a collapsed scaffold left two workmen hanging on for their lives and presented Squad 41 with a situation that demanded ingenuity and strength. When Squad 41 arrived at 200 West 108th Street in Manhattan, the scaffold was dangling at approximately the 12th Floor on the windowless side of a seventeen story building. Both were attached to their safety lines, but only one of the workers still had a tenuous hold on the failed scaffolding. Squad 41 was sent to the roof to set up a high-angle rope rescue. Due to a reported smoke condition on the 12th Floor, they could not use the elevator and were forced to carry their equipment bags up the seventeen flights.
Lt. Richard Portello sized up the roof situation and decided that the most secure method of anchoring the rope was to put it into a window of a penthouse, circle the rope around two walls within the penthouse, and send it out another window. As the other members of Squad 41 took their positions, Firefighter Tom Foley donned his harness.

Meanwhile, Ladder 4 raised their 110-foot aerial in an attempt to reach the workman that was dangling only by his safety line, but the ladder fell just short of height needed to reach the victim. His fate now rested with Squad 41.

After a final safety check, Firefighter Foley dismounted the parapet and the team proceeded with the lowering operation, confounded further by roof obstructions that forced them to rely Firefighter Foley's signals.

The victim had been hanging by his safety line for approximately 20 minutes when Firefighter Foley descended. He would not be able to assist in his rescue. There was also the fear that the shock of the fall weakened the safety line to the point where a total failure was probable.

When Firefighter Foley reached the victim, he immediately hooked a safety line to the victim's harness, then hooked up the bottom carbiner of the in-line transfer system. He was now able to transfer the victim's weight from the original safety line to Squad 41's main line. Without help from the victim, Firefighter Foley used his sheer strength to implement the transfer.

After double-checking all of the connections, Firefighter Foley was set to resume the lowering operation to reach Ladder 4's aerial, which was positioned at an extreme angle. Firefighter Foley straddled the rails of the aerial with his legs and supported the victim's back so that the man would stay close to the ladder during the descent. Two members of Ladder 4 would guide the victim's feet down the rungs from below. Firefighter Foley gave the signal to resume the lowering operation and the four men descended the aerial in unison, bringing the victim to safety.

The members of Squad 41 performed with precision under challenging conditions in the collapse zone of the scaffold, demonstrating teamwork, strength, and determination, and Firefighter Tom Foley's hazardous rescue earns him our one of Bravest Awards for this year.

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