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By Meredith Craig
Thanksgiving
Day 1993. Leaves in golden, orange and red hues rustle past houses filled
with laughter and love as people celebrate the holiday. In Rhode Island,
families eagerly wait for their turkey to finish cooking as they watch Santa
make his debut in the Macy’s Day parade. However, the day is very different
for firefighter Vincent Quinterno. Like the fall-colored leaves, he is
watching flames of yellow and blazing red fill the sky. Just as quickly as
the blaze consumed the home, Vincent found himself in the trenches of its
grasp as he fell from a third story balcony to the second floor.
Vinny, as most people call him, was transported to the
hospital with a knee injury, several bruises and abrasions to his face. In
January of 1994, Vinny underwent knee surgery, and three weeks after the
operation, suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage to the left side of his
brain, leaving him paralyzed on the right side of his body and rendering him
unable to speak. Given only a slim chance to survive, friends, family and
even his priest came to support Vinny and his family during their hours of
need. After several months of being incapacitated, suddenly, Vinny’s
condition started to improve slightly — enough to have the hospital release
him to the Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital, Braintree, Mass., where it was
determined that he would never walk or speak again.
With the odds stacked against him, he began a grueling
rehabilitation process scheduled to last 15 weeks — but Vinny, with the true
spirit of a first responder, finished the program in eight weeks and was
released to go home for more rehabilitation. During this time he suffered
several seizures, and each time it was as if another part of his body woke
up from the deep sleep the fire induced. After more rehabilitation at
Sergeant Rehabilitation Center, Providence, R.I., he was doing the
impossible, walking and speaking.
The battle was far from over. Due to clotting in the
brain, Vinny returned to the hospital for another surgery. At this point
Vinny realized that his life was in serious jeopardy. “I remember the night
before the surgery thinking I might not be here for my wife or children,
that this was the first time I realized that I might not make it,” Vinny
says.
After an arduous surgery, the doctor explained that the
first 24 hours were crucial. If Vinny had a seizure in those 24 hours he
might not ever recover. He had several seizures during that time, and then
they subsided and Vinny started getting better. He has not had a seizure
since 1995. “I believe that there is a higher being watching over each of
us,” Vinny says. “I use the abilities God gave me and I’ll do what He wants
me to do.”
As Vinny walked in to the American Airlines Training
and Conference Center for this year’s Academy for Venue Safety & Security,
one would never know the long road he traveled. The only indication is the
slight limp in his gait. His courageous story is one of inspiration. He is
one person who is making a difference in the world today, and he chose AVSS
as part of his training regimen.
Vinny serves as the Fire Safety Training Officer for
the Rhode Island State Fire Marshals’ Office. He has many duties, including
informing the public about fire safety and working with the National Fire
Academy, helping teach individuals how to prevent fires. “Before, I used to
use my brawn instead of my brain. Now it is the other way around. I want to
instill my messages in to the community and help save lives,” he says. His
greatest challenge in safety and security is the public’s lack of education.
“People get complacent and think that it won’t happen to them. We need to
plan for the impossible.”
Planning for the impossible was just one aspect from
the academy that Vinny could use in the future. At the academy the education
includes the important key aspects of preparing, planning, rescuing and
recovering. “I have had a lot of different training but AVSS instilled the
importance of thinking outside the box more than any other training I
experienced. For example, a fire can be a fire but we need to anticipate
that it could burn wires causing a greater danger to the public and
firefighters. That is why I am teaching my staff to look at all possible
situations. We need to expect the unexpected because people depend on us to
keep them safe.”
Vinny also incorporated some crowd management
information from AVSS in his recent training. “I included a special section
on risk management and analyzing a facility’s assets,” he says. “I received
lots of positive feedback on the information and I plan on expanding the
presentation to include even more from the academy.”
Like several others at this year’s academy, Vinny wants
to save lives, and that is what the academy is teaching. This hero has
chosen to serve others, and there is no greater ambassador. “You can’t be a
firefighter. You are born a firefighter, born to help others. I keep
buildings safe for others and I use the talents God gave me,” he says. “I
want to show handicapped people that they have a chance. My success is not
measured in the pocket but by the heart.”
AVSS serves many individuals in helping protect others.
From a venue manager to a first responder, the education offered at the
academy is a key in safety and security. A new winter academy will take
place Feb. 9-15, 2008, at the American Airlines Training and Conference
Center. For more information, visit
www.iaam.org. Vinny Quinterno would certainly recommend it.
fm
Meredith
Craig is public relations manager for IAAM.
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