Honor Firefighter William Dash

April 19, 2018 WHEREAS, Citizens across our State and Nation are inspired by and indebted to our noble volunteer firefighters who exhibit courage and bravery every day in the course of their duties; and WHEREAS, Firefighters exemplify the power of human compassion and the strength of the American spirit through actions of the most heroic magnitude; their sacrifices and their selfless dedication merit tribute and recognition by all citizens of this great country; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Firefighter William Dash upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the 2018 Oscar Award by the Bay Improvement Group (BIG) to be celebrated at its Awards Dinner for Distinguished Community Service on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at Il Fornetto in Sheepshead Bay, New York; and WHEREAS, This prestigious award recognizes those individuals who serve and contribute to the Brooklyn community; William Dash is truly deserving of this commendation for his efforts in saving three individuals' lives after a car accident; and WHEREAS, A lifelong resident of Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, William "Billy" Dash joined the FDNY in 2008; currently, he works for Engine Company 276; and WHEREAS, On June 27, 2017, William Dash was driving home In his personal vehicle with his wife, when he witnessed a horrific vehicular accident between two occupied vehicles, a dark sedan and a white SUV at the intersection of Gerritsen Avenue and Devon Avenue; and WHEREAS, After the sedan slammed into the SUV at a high rate of speed causing severe damage to both vehicles, it instantly burst into flames; off-duty firefighter William Dash immediately stopped his vehicle to assist the victims while his wife called 911 for additional assistance; and WHEREAS, William Dash approached the sedan first, and observed heavy fire in the engine compartment and heard screams for help from the front passenger seat; he forcibly opened the door and assisted her to safety on the curb; and WHEREAS, Upon returning to the vehicle, William Dash saw the driver laying on the ground; realizing the male victim had a severe leg injury, he picked him up and carried him to safety; and WHEREAS, William Dash then learned there was another person sitting in the rear passenger seat before the accident; William once again returned to the burning vehicle to search for this last victim through thick black smoke and intense flames; after opening the jammed rear door, he located an unconscious victim on the floor partially stuck under the front seats; and WHEREAS, While breathing through his t-shirt, William Dash was able to free the unconscious male's legs and arms, and removed him from the back passenger compartment to safety as well; and WHEREAS, By now, several bystanders were on the scene, and William Dash approached the SUV to check on potential victims; upon discovering they were all right, he returned to the three victims on the curb to triage their injuries; and WHEREAS, Shortly thereafter, Engine 321 arrived on the scene, and William Dash gave a quick report of all three patients and directed the Lieutenant to the most severely injured from the sedan; and WHEREAS, Without the protection of any personal protection equipment and fire extinguishing capabilities, William Dash put his life at risk to save three lives from a terrible vehicular accident; if it was not for his bravery, these three people most likely would have suffered severe burns and/or death; and WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his wife, Eileen, and their two daughters, Lilyanna and Gia, all of whom have shown him love and support and rejoice in his many achievements; and WHEREAS, Firefighters unwaveringly serve our great State with pride, valor, and integrity; these respected volunteers are often the first to respond to an emergency, whether the emergency is a fire, transportation accident, natural disaster, act of terrorism, medical crisis, or spill of hazardous materials; and WHEREAS, It takes a special dedication, a strong desire to help others and a tireless sense of community to forsake precious time with family and friends to respond to the signal that a neighbor is in need; William Dash is such a firefighter; throughout his years of devoted service, this volunteer heroically performed, above and beyond the call of duty, those responsibilities which define the task of fire protection; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Firefighter William Dash upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the 2018 Oscar Award by the Bay Improvement Group (BIG); and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Firefighter William Dash.