The Red Cross is once again honoring everyday heroes in Berks County and 69 News is proud to share the stories of those making a difference in the community.
Tonight, we meet a man whose listening skills helped save a firefighter’s life.
For 36 years, telecommunicator Bill Shuman answered calls at the Berks County 911 center.
“I love the job,” said Bill.
It’s in his DNA as he was born into a firehouse family.
“My mother and father were involved in the community with the ambulance and the local fire department and that’s how I grew up,” he said.
Just a few months shy of retirement, Bill was working when a call came in for a house fire on Mohns Hill Road.
It was bitter cold.
“We had tankers coming in, we had to set up a fill site- the ponds, the static water sources were frozen,” said Chief Colin Hackman, Township of Spring Fire/Rescue.
Smoke was coming from every window.
“We were immediately met with blinding smoke, floor to ceiling. We made a left and we saw fire,” said Captain Ryan Bingaman with Township of Spring Fire/Rescue, who was first through the door.
“As I was crawling, I felt the floor, I felt floor and then, all of a sudden, when I put my weight on my hand, the floor went and I just went head-first down. Just felt like slow motion to me,” Captain Bingaman recalled.
The captain was falling, but instead of hitting the ground, something caught him mid-air. He was now tangled in wires, suspended upside down, yelling for help that no one could hear.
The firefighter behind him fell through the same hole, wedging the captain down even farther. That firefighter was pulled out but with the thick, heavy smoke, it was hard to see and they did not know the captain was still hanging below.
“My initial concern was, I’m going to die here and nobody knows I’m here,” he said. “The image of my children popped into my head for a split second and then the training kicked in. And to me, that was God’s way of saying ‘you’re getting out of here’.”
Captain Bingaman couldn’t reach his radio but was able to set off his personal safety alarm. Fellow firefighters heard the beeping and sounded the “Mayday” call.
Back at the 911 center, Bill was listening.
He heard the Mayday, but when a few seconds went by without confirmation by anyone on scene, Bill repeated the call.
The captain had about 5 minutes of air left in his tank when firefighters found him.
“Without Bill’s repeated call, I probably wouldn’t be here today,” Bingaman said.
A year later, Bill has retired and the captain is back at work physically healed and mentally working through the trauma, making sure other first responders never feel alone and grateful that Bill had his back.
“Bill knew to hear the Mayday. He knew to listen to that,” added Captain Bingaman. “I’m glad he was on that day.”
Bill Shuman- American Red Cross Hero.