By:Nicole Falco and Walter Weltner
On April 21, the Nassau County Fire Commission presented awards of merit to former Captain Steven Weltner and firefighter Michael Velte. They were honored for risking their lives to save the disabled man, who was trapped inside his home on Wood Lane. Weltner and Velte entered the house before a hose line was in place to protect them and without the use of self-contained breathing equipment, and safely removed the man. Weltner received the Silver Medal of Valor Award for great personal risk, and Velte the Bronze Medal of Valor for meritorious personal risk.
In August, Weltner, Velte and two other firefighters credited with helping to rescue the disabled man met with the Herald to describe the harrowing incident. According to their account, which was detailed in an article published Aug. 21, Weltner was driving home from shopping with his son when he spotted the blazing house on Wood Lane, and immediately stopped to help.
Neighbors told him that a disabled man was trapped in a bedroom at the rear of the house, and that a mother and her two children might also be trapped. Though Weltner was dressed only in a tank top, shorts and sneakers, he asked the neighbors to watch his son while he raced to the victims' aid.
Thomas Vella, a fire department lieutenant, had also happened upon the scene while en route to report for duty at Engine Co. 3 on nearby Cochran Place. Neighbors had waved him down as he was driving and reported the fire to him. Vella alerted the Valley Stream Fire Department and Engine Co. 3, which is under the command of Capt. Walter Weltner Jr., Steven's brother. The company was the first on the scene.
In the meantime, Steven Weltner had found the bedroom where the disabled man was trapped. Neighbors had come to the man's aid and were attempting to remove him through a window. Realizing the neighbors' efforts might not work, Weltner entered the bedroom, without any protective equipment. He crawled across the floor to close the door in order to hold off the fire raging in an adjacent room and to reduce the smoke and heat in the bedroom.
Outside, the department had arrived. Vella, Walter Weltner and firefighter Michael Velte raced to the back of the house to aid in the rescue while other firefighters prepared to extinguish the flames.
Walter Weltner Jr., Velte and Vella entered the bedroom by breaking down a back door that had been blocked by home furnishings. Steven Weltner and Velte carried the man through the rear to safety with Walter Weltner's assistance, and handed him over to Vella and other department personnel for medical treatment.
The victim was transported to Franklin Hospital Medical Center. The mother and her children had escaped on their own, unharmed. The father was not at home when the fire started. The fire was extinguished at 10:03 p.m., approximately two hours after it started.
At the time, then-Chief Robert Petry praised the firefighters' heroic efforts. He said, "We train our firefighters for the unfortunate possibility of an event like this occurring, and it is gratifying that when it does happen our firefighters respond with quickness, professionalism and great courage."
Because of the quick actions of the entire company, members of Engine Co. 3 were honored with a Fire Department Unit Citation. Walter Weltner Jr. accepted the award on behalf of his firehouse.
Numerous dignitaries, including Valley Stream Mayor Edward Cahill, Village Trustee Edwin Fare and Nassau County Legislator Francis X. Becker were present at the ceremony, which was held in the Nassau County Supreme Court Building in Mineola.
Velte and Steven Weltner will be honored again, this time by the Valley Stream Fire Department. They are each set to receive a Fireman of the Year award on Saturday, during the department's annual installation dinner. The next day, American Legion Andrew Fatscher Post 854 will honor the firefighters during its annual Law & Order Day ceremony.
