Honors for Prince George’s Co. firefighters who rescued children

Members of the Prince George's County Fire Department being honored for saving 3 children from a home fire in Temple Hills
Pictured left to right.  Tyler Shoemaker, Zachary Stahly, Amanda Steele, Thomas Miller, Daniel Robinson, Michael Perritt and Chief Benjamin Barksdale. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Members of the Prince George’s County Fire Department honored for saving three children from a house fire in Temple Hills, Prince George’s County in Maryland. Pictured left to right: Tyler Shoemaker, Zachary Stahly, Amanda Steele, Thomas Miller, Daniel Robinson, Michael Perritt and Chief Benjamin Barksdale. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Fire Chief Benjamin Barksdale makes  comments about the hero firefighters. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Fire Chief Benjamin Barksdale makes comments about the hero firefighters. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Firefighters from Prince George's County tackled the blaze.
(WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Despite heat and low visibility, firefighters found the three children in the house and brought them outside. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Michael Perritt was one of six firefighters to receive the Emergency Services Award. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Michael Perritt was one of six firefighters to receive the Emergency Services Award. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
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Members of the Prince George's County Fire Department being honored for saving 3 children from a home fire in Temple Hills
Pictured left to right.  Tyler Shoemaker, Zachary Stahly, Amanda Steele, Thomas Miller, Daniel Robinson, Michael Perritt and Chief Benjamin Barksdale. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Fire Chief Benjamin Barksdale makes  comments about the hero firefighters. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Firefighters from Prince George's County tackled the blaze.
(WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
Michael Perritt was one of six firefighters to receive the Emergency Services Award. (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)

WASHINGTON — Six members of the Prince George’s County Fire Department in Maryland are being honored for rescuing three children from a burning house in Temple Hills last year.

The firefighters “kept their composure, you know they were calm on the radio, gave good reports and carried out their duties as they were trained to do,” said Prince George’s County Fire Chief Benjamin Barksdale.

Firefighter Tyler Shoemaker said the home was belching smoke. Knowing that there were children inside motivated him to do his job, but he said he is no hero.

“No, it was just an ordinary day at the fire house, that’s all it was. Just, the call came out, and we had to do our job, and we did it,” Shoemaker said.

The fire was last October in the 4700 block of Alcorn Drive in Temple Hills.

Firefighters received a call from a woman who said her house was on fire and her children were trapped by smoke and heat on the second floor.

Despite heat and low visibility, firefighters found the three children and brought them outside. One of the children, an infant, required CPR.

All three children responded to lifesaving efforts and began breathing on their own.

“You absolutely rely on training, and you take the best actions, you do what you think is right and we were fortunate like I said, there’s a lot of luck involved too,” firefighter Zach Stahly said.

Kyle Cooper

Weekend and fill-in anchor Kyle Cooper has been with WTOP since 1992. Over those 25 years, Kyle has worked as a street reporter, editor and anchor. Prior to WTOP, Kyle worked at several radio stations in Indiana and at the Indianapolis Star Newspaper.

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