Fire service presents awards to flat-blaze rescue pair

Asa Fitzpatrick and his colleague Jason Revill acted quickly after

seeing smoke billowing from the window of the second-floor flat on Whinacre Close in Batemoor, Sheffield, early one morning last October.

They saw a man stranded on the balcony so leapt onto scaffolding at the rear of the flats, climbed onto the balcony of the property next door and alerted a neighbour to let them in.

Together, they rescued the stranded man and stayed with him until the emergency services arrived.

Both men have now been awarded a Chief Fire Officer's Commendation – the highest fire service award a member of the public can receive.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: "The fire service does a fantastic job. So to be able to come to the fire station with my family and pick up this award, for what was a natural reaction on the day, has been a massive honour."

Assistant chief fire officer at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, Mark Shaw, said: "These occasions are extremely important to the fire service.

"As an organisation, we aspire to be a part of the communities in which we operate, so to properly recognise examples of bravery and heroism displayed by individuals in our communities is vital.

"Our normal advice to people in the event of a fire is to get out, stay out and call 999. However, we recognise that in exceptional circumstances such as this one, public acts of bravery are appropriate and should be recognised as such."

Mr Fitzpatrick was presented with his certificate at a ceremony in front of fire crews, family and friends at Mansfield Road fire station in Manor Top, Sheffield.

The last Chief Fire Officer's Commendation to be handed out by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue was in September last year, to builder Andrew Smith.

The 42-year-old rescued three of his next-door neighbours who were trapped after an arson attack on their home in Southey Green, Sheffield.

Mr Smith also tried to rescue a seven-year-old girl from another bedroom during the blaze on May 14 2009, but was beaten back by flames.