Scout Scales Roof to Extinguish House Fire, Earns Award

LAPEER, MI – Local Scout Thomas Wasniowski, 16, of Columbiaville Troop 214 will soon receive the National Medal of Merit for extraordinary heroism in extinguishing a fire at his family home.

According to the Boy Scouts of America, the National Medal of Merit is presented only for acts of commendable service, putting into practice skills learned or honed through the Scouting program.

The incident occurred shortly after Wasniowski returned home from a theater practice on Dec. 15. Alone with his family’s two dogs, Mabel and McGee, Wasniowski was startled by what he described as “the roar of a giant torch ripping up the chimney,” as the house’s wood-burning stove suddenly combusted.

“I was confused at first, but that confusion quickly melted into a mix of fear and shock,” Wasniowski said.

As flames spat from the stove and the house filled with black smoke, Wasniowski leapt into action. He gathered Mabel and McGee and evacuated the home, not even stopping to put on his shoes. Once outside, he called 911 and requested emergency services.

“Then I had a choice on my hands,” Wasniowski said. “Either I could sit and wait until the engines rolled up, letting the inferno continue unhampered, or I could take action myself.”

The boy filled two buckets with an outdoor spigot and positioned a ladder against the building. Wearing only socks, he climbed atop the icy roof with the pails of water. By then, the blaze’s intensity had increased, with flames spouting from beneath the super-heated metal cap of their chimney.

“I rushed back down and retrieved a sensible tool for removing such a lid,” Wasniowski said.

He proceeded to bludgeon the cap with a hammer until it was ripped free, tumbling down into their yard below. Wasniowski then dumped the contents of bucket after bucket down the chimney, eventually extinguishing the conflagration.

Only seven minutes after the boy placed the 911 call, nine fire engines arrived on the scene. According to volunteer firefighter Geoffrey Erwin, they found a house filled with smoke, but no fire.

“He performed basically the actions we as firefighters would have,” Erwin said. “Thomas’ quick thinking and brave actions resulted in minimal damage to his home. He went above and beyond what an ordinary citizen would do.”

Seeing a merit badge sash in his bedroom, Erwin took Wasniowski aside as the Scout recovered from minor smoke inhalation. On inquiring if the youth was a Scout, Erwin was surprised to learn of Wasniowski’s membership with Troop 214, the same unit in which the fireman earned the rank of Eagle Scout years ago.

Having been alerted to the situation, the boy’s parents, Frank and Amy Wasniowski rushed back to their house. By the time they arrived, the fire crews had already aired out the residence, leaving Thomas Wasniowski with a neighbor.

“I got out of the truck, gave him a hug and walked into the house,” Frank Wasniowski said. “I found that Thomas had also grabbed a pile of towels from the closet and had almost all of the water from putting out the fire cleaned up.”

On Feb. 28, the Boy Scouts of America made the determination to recognize Wasniowski with the National Medal of Merit for his actions. A ceremony will be scheduled once the medal is shipped and received.

“He put his own personal safety at risk to save the dogs and the house,” Frank Wasniowski said. “He could’ve been burned; he could’ve got trapped in the house and killed by the fire; he could’ve fallen from the snowy roof. I will end this with how blessed I am to have the son I have, and how proud of him I am.”