By Jennifer La Lima
The Eisert family pulled over to the side of Peninsula Boulevard in Lynbrook, where they spotted the smoke. Nicole called for help as she waited with the children, ages 1 and 5. Meanwhile, Eisert searched furiously through nearby backyards.
He soon discovered a home, at 74 Buckingham Place in Malverne, that was consumed by fire. He stood on the opposite side of a six-foot stockade fence that surrounded the backyard. Making his way around the fence and into the yard, Eisert noticed that the fire was in the southeast corner of the house.
Without protective gear, Eisert broke through what he thought was a bedroom window in the southwest corner. He hoped to alert anyone who might be inside. "It was almost a second-nature impulse,² Eisert said. ³You have to weigh the risks versus the benefits. You know how far you can go once you're inside."
Eisert said that his fire training came into use. He knew where and how to search the house for victims. Racing through the home, he worked his way around to a door that seemed to be closest to the fire. He kicked his way through and searched through blinding smoke. Soon the extreme heat and smoke forced him from the home.
Nicole, meanwhile, circled the block and met John outside the home. He radioed in the address, and Nicole made sure to tell responding units that there was already a firefighter at the home performing a search. John took a deep breath, and entered the home for a fourth time. Without a flashlight, it was nearly impossible to see. The fire had expanded greatly.
Eisert remembers that minutes seemed to last forever as he entered and re-entered the searing heat. Then Lynbrook police officer Joseph Cosenza and Malverne firefighters Bill Pesek and Kevin Morgan arrived at the scene. Eisert described them as relentless in their effort to find the resident, Robert Heinrich.
"They were not coming out without him," said Eisert. "If it weren't for them, Mr. Heinrich wouldn't be alive."
As the men crawled through the smoke, Eisert felt the foot of Heinrich, who was unconscious on the floor. Eisert and a Malverne firefighter removed Heinrich from the home, and he was passed to a Lynbrook Fire Department ambulance crew. By this time, rescue units from the Malverne and Lynbrook departments had arrived.
Reports of a second victim, Heinrich's sister, sent Eisert and a Malverne firefighter back inside. With conditions worsening, and with no sign of another victim, the men got out.
Eisert briefed Lynbrook Chief James McDermott, on the location of the fire, the areas searched and where the victim was found. The Malverne and Lynbrook departments extinguished the fire, and no other residents were found in the home. Heinrich was rushed to Franklin Hospital in Valley Stream, where he remained at press time. His condition was undisclosed.
North Bellmore Fire Department Chief Steven Sharkey said, "John is a great guy, a real family man. He is one of the most active firefighters in the department. He did what he had to do in the moment." Sharkey added that Eisert is a true hero, and an asset to the North Bellmore department.
Comments about this story? JLaLima@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
