Braving the second floor hall of the burning Max House Apartments just after 1:40 a.m. July 24, the two residents had fought hard in the searing heat and blinding smoke to reach the second-floor stairwell.

When they got there, however, they found their way down was blocked by flames.

But that’s where Valley Regional Fire Authority Captain Gervase Henson and firefighters Rachael Labender and Ryan Nauer of Engine 331 found them — then led them through the smoky corridor and out to the rest of their lives.

Elsewhere that morning, when the crew of Aid 331 reached the burning building, firefighters Darrel Normandy and Ryan Simpson raised a ladder to the second story and plucked two more residents from their apartments.

According to the VRFA, in recognition of their courageous actions, VRFA Fire Chief Brad Thompson recently awarded Captain Henson and firefighters Nauer, Labender, Normandy and Simpson a Valorous Unit Citation, commending them for their efforts in rescuing four people from “a hostile fire environment.”

The Valorous Unit Citation is the highest unit decoration the VRFA can award to a public safety unit. It is presented “for conspicuous bravery while at significant risk to life or limb in the performance of duty” during operations. The unit that receives this award will have had direct action in saving lives, either civilian or public safety personnel.

Here is what the VRFA report had to say about the events of that morning.

On July 24, 2021, at 1:36 a.m., Valley Com dispatched Engine 331 with Captain Henson and firefighters Labender and Nauer to a smoke investigation in the 100 block of East Main Street. Once in the area, the three determined that the smoke was coming from the roof of the Max House Apartments at 115 E. Main St., at which point Engine 331 upgraded the alarm to a commercial fire. Aid 331 was just then clearing a call and added itself to the fire.

The engine crew quickly connected to a water supply and stretched a hose to the front of the building. Finding fire in the stairwell leading up to the second-floor apartments, Henson and crew knocked the fire down in the stairwell and made their way to the second floor, where they encountered high heat and low visibility. At the top of the stairs, they found the two residents looking for a way out. Henson and Nauer helped the two through the smoky hallway and out of the structure. At one point, Henson used his body as a shield to protect both residents from the fire in the stairwell.

When Aid 331 personnel got there, according to VRFA, firefighters Darrel Normandy and Ryan Simpson raised a ladder to the second story and rescued two residents from their apartments, then pulled a hose line, entered the stairwell, and accessed the second floor to conduct a primary search. Engine 331 then reentered the building and continued to search for occupants. Both crews completed a search on the second floor before fire conditions forced their withdrawal from the building.