BERN TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A close call for two veteran police officers occured this weekend in Berks County.
“When there’s a life on the line, you really don’t have time to second-guess. You have to act,” said Sgt. Edwin Noll with Bern Township Police.
The house fire happened not far from the Bern Township police station.
“At that time, I responded immediately and was first on scene,” Noll said.
“When I arrived, I found a small child in the driveway, waiting by the rear of the entrance. He told me his house was on fire and he believed his mom was still in the residence,” he said.
Moments later, another Bern Township officer arrived at the chaotic scene.
“She said she was in the room,” said Ofc. Vince Mazza.
“She wasn’t leaving ’til she found her son. I had to reaffirm to her that her son was outside and safe,” Mazza said.
The officers arrived first on scene with only seconds to respond as the home was filling with smoke and the front door was locked.
The officers said they looked for the path of least resistance and found it, pushing an air conditioner through the home’s front window.
“I said come to my voice, come to my voice, and she slowly walked across the room, and then with the assistance of Sgt. Noll, him and I got her out the front window, lowered her to the ground, and then walked her out to the responding Berks ambulance,” Mazza said.
Both 25-year veterans were from the same class and were on this same call to help save a life.
“We worked as a good team and got the last out. It could have been a lot worse if she’d been in there any longer because when I pushed the air conditioner in, a big plume of smoke came out,” Mazza said.
The fire remains under investigation, but days later as the officers recount the incident, they say they’re filled with gratitude.
“I just feel incredibly grateful that we were in a position to be able to help,” Noll said.
“Everybody got out of the residence safely, and neither myself nor Officer Mazza or emergency services were injured throughout the entire incident,” he added.