Perhaps they're the first human beings we meet in the flesh who exhibit the kind of unflinching character that leave us wondering if they're not really some kind of superhero. As children, many of us have professed at one time or another, "When I grow up, I want to be a fireman!" That many of us eventually end up as accountants, plumbers and reporters is no accident. As evidenced by the Mineola Fire Department's response to a devastating house fire on Dec. 23, it really does take a special kind of person to be a firefighter ¬ especially a volunteer firefighter.

It was the kind of call that made 1st Assistant Chief Mike DeStefano wince: A Signal 10, a working building fire, with reports of occupants trapped within the building and a victim about to jump off the roof. "I knew we had something bad as soon as I heard the call," DeStefano said.

He was the first on the scene and was faced with a raging blaze already shooting out of nearly every window and door at 108 Arlington Street. The fire was extending to the house next door. But DeStefano also encountered a brave and quick-thinking neighbor, Dennis Rawlings, who had spotted the woman on the roof and fetched a step ladder from his house. He climbed up to the victim and, although unable to bring her down, kept her calm until the first engines arrived. The victim was brought down off the second floor porch roof and taken by awaiting Mineola Volunteer Ambulance personnel to the hospital.

Engine Companies 1 and 3 stretched hose lines to combat the fire, and Company 3 Captain George Rowe made sure that lines were stretched to protect the surrounding homes.

When Truck Company 2 arrived, they were told of the possibility that two more victims were trapped in the house. Search teams were assigned to enter the building on the first and second floors as well as the basement. With fire extending out the front of the house and hoselines attempting to douse the blaze, the first floor entry team was not able to get in through the front door.

Led by 1st Lieutenant Christopher Franz, firefighters Mark Danielson and Arthur Enger went to the back yard as neighbors screamed that there were people in the house. Heavy smoke billowed out the windows and the search team attempted to enter a window on the east side of the house. This entry was blocked by the headboard of a bed pushed up against the window. Knowing now that this was a bedroom, Franz ran to the rear of the house and found another window and entered into the same room. Franz and firefighter M. Danielson entered and quickly found a female victim lying on the floor near the bedroom door. Captain Robert Connolly of Truck Company 2 was advised the first victim had been found.

Connolly entered a rear door which led to the kitchen where the main body of the fire was located. Passing this fire, he located a doorway which led him into the bedroom. The three firefighters carried the victim to the rear window and then removed her out to Captain Brian Santosus and firefighters Enger and Chris Danielson. M. Danielson also assisted with removing the victim.

At this time 1st Lt. Jack Fernandez of Engine Company 1 screamed, saying he could see another victim through the window. As the fire on the ceiling lit up, it revealed the male victim seated in the corner of the room next to the bed. Connolly and Franz began to pick up the victim as Capt. Rowe, of Company 3, Lt. John Kessler and firefighter Mark Valentino moved a handline into position to try to cool the fire.

At this point, firefighter Tom Behan, who had been able to move past the hoseline, proceeded to the bedroom to assist in the rescue of the second victim. Connolly, Franz and Behan, who had been able to move past the hoseline, removed him from the house through a rear window. Then they continued to search the first floor for any more victims.

Despite the presence of a Christmas tree and several children's toys, the firefighters did not find any more people in the building. Unfortunately, a dog that had succumbed to the fire was found in the bedroom. Crews searched the second floor and basement to make sure no one else was trapped. They also opened up the walls to check for hidden pockets of fire and prevented it from spreading to the upper floors.

The heroic actions continued out in the street, as available EMS personnel had been put to work, and revived the female victim, who was in cardiac arrest when taken out. Firefighter James Luning and Lt. Kessler performed chest compressions as Santosus breathed life into the unconscious male victim.

Unfortunately, as of this writing, the male victim, a 45-year-old, is legally brain dead and was recently removed from a respirator. The female victim, also in her forties, underwent several surgeries, including skin grafting to try to stop the infection. "She is struggling, no doubt about it," DeStefano said. However, their successful rescue can be credited to the coordinated and professional efforts of the three companies of the Mineola Fire Department, assisted by departments from Garden City Park, MVAC, and the Williston Fire Department, which stood by at Mineola headquarters to protect the rest of the village.

One need only take a good look at the accompanying picture from the night of the 23rd to see the danger that these brave volunteers put themselves in. Every time they answer a call to assist their neighbors, there is the potential one of them may not make it out alive. But, if you look at statistics, the Mineola Fire Department's track record is above reproach.

"We haven't had a person die in a fire in over 14 years," DeStefano said.

Small towns usually support their firefighters in the same way they support their high school football teams. They're applauded in parades, given awards and pats on the back for jobs well done. But the residents don't do nearly as much for their fire department as their fire department does for them. Short of joining them in volunteering your time, it may be impossible to fully repay the debt. But, like most heroes, the firefighters don't ask for much in return. Gratitude can be shown in the simplest of gestures. So, the next time the department holds a fund raiser, remember that an investment in the fire department is an investment in your family's safety. But most of all, heed their warnings. Install and check all smoke detectors regularly, because although we need them from time to time, no one wants to have to be a hero.