The D.C. firefighter who took off his own breathing mask to help rescue a senior citizen from a burning building in Southeast Washington D.C. was released from a hospital Friday, saying he had just been doing his job.
Firefighter Danny Lovato left the burn unit at MedStar Washington Hospital Center two days after he shared his air supply with Phyllis Terrell, 65. He received a hero's welcome for rescuing Terrell from her smoke-filled apartment, but his reaction was humble.
"What I did wasn't extraordinary. It's what we're trained to do," he said.
Lovato responded about 4 p.m. Wednesday to blaze on the 1700 block of Minnesota Avenue SE. School resource officers were first to arrive on the scene and rescued three elderly people and a dog before firefighters arrived.
Terrell was trapped in her third-floor apartment and was ready to jump from a window to escape smoke and flames, her granddaughter said. Lovato soothed her and told her to wait.
"We made eye contact," Lovato recall. "I knew that she was about to jump. I told her, 'Don't do it. I'll be up there in a second.'"
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When the firefighter reached her, Lovato had to make a decision fast.
"I knew I wasn't going to be able to pull her over the railing because we were so high," he said, referring to protective metal bars on the lower half of the tall window. "I knew it would risk both of our lives, so I just gave her my air."
That decision may have saved Terrell's life. The firefighter and woman passed Lovato's mask back and forth in thick smoke until other firefighters could reach them from inside the building.
"It's pretty amazing how fast that smoke takes your breath away," Lovato said.
Lovato and Terrell were rushed to the hospital after they inhaled smoke and were treated on the same floor of the intensive care unit.
The pair met on Friday, Terrell said.
"She just thanked me, and she just kept going over and over what happened on the scene," he said. "It was great to see her."
Lovato got emotional as he spoke Friday about all the support he received after the rescue.
"My wife, my motorcycle crew here, firefighters, the [DC Firefighters] Burn Foundation especially have always been available to help families when we need them," he said, getting choked up.
Lovato left the hospital eager to see his 6-year-old son. He said he hopes to be back on the job within a week.
