Class II Cape May Police Officer To Be Honored For Fire Rescue in New York

Poughkeepsie, NY- Walking to the parking lot at the end of their shift, two Vassar Brothers security guards noticed a bright light from a nearby residential building on Jan 21. Upon realizing the apartment building was ablaze, both Ken Palmatieri and Derrik Murphy immediately ran into the fire, not once but twice, to arouse sleeping residents and help them to safety before EMS and the fire department arrived.
Upon arriving at the house, Palmatieri and Murphy found two women at the front door to the building trying to alert those inside. They proceeded into the building pounding on doors. On the second floor, the two men found a woman who told them that her three children were sleeping in bed. Palmatieri and Murphy grabbed the children and helped the family to bystanders outside.
When they were told that others were still believed to be in the third floor apartment, which was almost fully engulfed both men ran selflessly back into the house to ensure everyone had escaped safely. They encountered another occupant as the rechecked the entire building and assisted him out as well.
The three alarm blaze displaced a total of seven adults and seven children. Thanks in large part to the heroic efforts of the two security guards there were no injuries.
This is the closest both men have been to a fire, despite the fact that Derrick Murphy is also a part-time police officer in Cape May, NJ. The training they received at the Medical Center was helpful, although it’s a little different in a home than it would be at the hospital, according to Murphy.
Officer Ken Palmatieri added, “When we put on these uniforms each day, we realize the culture of Vassar Brothers is that we are not just here to help people at the hospital but that we are part of the community and we are here to serve everyone. I’m just glad it worked out the way it did.”
Both men will be honored at a brief ceremony at Vassar Brothers at 1 pm on Thursday, January 22.
Vassar Brothers Medical Center is a 365 bed hospital located on the banks of the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, NY. An affiliate of Health Quest, the regional health care facility has established nationally recognized centers of excellence in cardiac, maternity and cancer care.