Community Corner

Dispatches: Volunteer of Valor

Upper Gwynedd Township firefighter Brandon Hertzog receiving Award of Valor for Sept. 4 apartment fire rescue

Brandon Hertzog was just doing his job the evening of Sept. 4 when he responded to an apartment fire at Penn Brooke Gardens aparments in Upper Gwynedd.

He continued to do what he was trained to do when he rescued an unconscious elderly woman from her smoke-filled, dark home and carried her to safety.

Hertzog calls it “doing his work”; his peers and the National Liberty Museum call it an act of valor.

Find out what's happening in Montgomeryville-Lansdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The 24-year-old Upper Gwynedd resident will be honored tonight in Philadelphia at the 2011 Awards of Valor Heroes Ceremony at the museum in Philadelphia, along with other fellow colleagues from the Delaware Valley.

Hertzog, a Lehigh Valley native up until fifth grade, was nominated for his valor by fellow lineman Eric Geiger.

Find out what's happening in Montgomeryville-Lansdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Honestly, anyone else would have done it,” said Hertzog. “I was the person first inside doing the primary search. I located the victim and took them out. I’m not looking for any pat on the back.”

The call came into the station on Garfield Avenue at 9:45 p.m. Hertzog said because multiple callers said they saw smoke coming from an apartment, it was a key sign that this was a serious fire.

“By the time we got our pants on, we had our full crew. We jumped in and Engine 80 was the first truck on the scene within five minutes,” he said.

Firefighters loaded up the hydrant and pulled up to the front of building housing Apartment 12D.

The hose line was connected by the time Hertzog met up with the captain of Towamencin Fire Co., assisting at the scene.

“He gave me the rundown – and I was completely dressed, ready to go in. He helped me gain entry and I started doing a primary search,” Hertzog said.

He wasn’t sure how the fire started, but there was smoke from ceiling to floor.

“Shortly after getting into the living room far enough, I found a woman tangled in table in her blanket,” he said.

Hertzog didn’t know if the woman was trying to get out during the fire, but he did know that this woman was unconscious and unresponsive.

“I took her out immediately, dragging her to keep her low,” he said. “I turned her over to EMS and I went back to look for a second person who ended up not being at home.”

Hertzog didn’t need to think to react to this situation. He had been in a variety of fires before and this was second nature.

“Going into the dark isn’t too bad a thing,” he said. “It’s something you either get used to or you don’t. When you see smoke, you start listening and feeling rather than seeing. It’s an absolute adrenaline rush.”

Since the rescue, Hertzog has not met the woman whose life he saved.

“I did what I was trained to do: protect and serve,” he said.

Hertzog’s volunteer career in serving others begin at age 16 when he started running with Souderton Ambulance, prompted by a friend.

“It was interesting,” he said. “It was fun to be able to help people. You’re not just raking leaves for a neighbor; these are people you don’t know that you can help.”

At 18, he made the switch over to fire service with Upper Gwynedd.

“I had a short duration with a lot of companies when I went to Penn State Berks. I ran with Sinking Springs, Reading Fire Department and I ran with Wyomissing,” he said. “I’ve been doing this all over, in and out of various areas since I was 18.”

The rescue on Sept. 5 was the first time Hertzog has saved a life in his whole firefighting and EMS experiences.

“You use your certification to help them as best as you can. It just feels right,” he said.

The 2005 North Penn graduate has a degree in criminal justice under his belt, having graduated from Penn State this past December. He would love to do something with the police or with Homeland Security.

The event didn’t change him, he said. It made him feel good inside that he took the time to volunteer and do what he does.

Hertzog said, modestly, that anybody would have done what he did that night.

“Most people are in the service for 30 years and never have an opportunity to do this,” he said. “I’m just some kid that responded that night and helped save a life.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here