Long Island firefighter’s 8-year-old grandson assigned to animal control at house fire
Photo by Paul Hashagen.
The Daily Beast has an article about a Long Island, NY volunteer firefighter who took his eight-year-old grandson along to a fire. Paul Hashagen is retired FDNY, spending most of his career at Rescue 1, and is a member of the Freeport Fire Department. Hashagen was babysitting grandson Matthew Smith who was home sick from school when the call was dispatched for a house fire with people trapped just four blocks away.
According to Micheal Daly’s article, Hashagen quickly dressed Matthew telling him, “There’s a fire and people trapped around the corner, we have to go!”
On the fireground Hashagen deposited his grandson in the cab of the ladder truck and went to work. Returning to the rig to change bottles Paul Hashagen discovered someone had also put Matthew to work.
… Hashagen checked inside the truck and saw Matthew sitting with what appeared to be a kind of terrier.
“Where’d the dog come from?” Hashagen asked.
“One of the firemen took him from the house and I’m holding him,” Matthew replied.
Hashagen noted that the dog was relaxed and content in the boy’s care.
“Okay, you take care of him,” Hashagen said.
Hashagen returned to the smoke and flame as the boy tended to the terrier.
Click here to read Michael Daly’s entire article from The Daily Beast
