Honor Cody Maricle's Heroism

Senate Resolution No. 1411 BY: Senator AKSHAR COMMENDING Cody Maricle upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate WHEREAS, Citizens across the State of New York are inspired by and indebted to our noble firefighters who exhibit courage and bravery every day in the course of their duties; and WHEREAS, New York State 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 Nation; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Cody Maricle upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate; and WHEREAS, The New York State Senate Liberty Medal was established by Resolution and is awarded to individuals who have merited special commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts on behalf of their fellow New Yorkers; and WHEREAS, At approximately 1 a.m. on Sunday, March 17, 2019, off-duty Firefighter Cody Maricle observed a fire at a house located at 476 Washington Street; by the time he called 911, the flames had already extended to both stories of the house on the exterior and was beginning to burn through to the interior; and WHEREAS, Without regard for his own safety, Cody Maricle ran to the burning building, opened the front door and awakened the five members of the family who were still sleeping in their home because the smoke detectors had not been activated; as conditions rapidly deteriorated, he helped the terrified family escape from the second floor of the burning home; and WHEREAS, The Susquehanna Fire Department was dispatched at 1:07 a.m. and arrived on the scene with its first engine; the firefighters discovered two stories of the house were fully involved, and the heat from the fire was already causing damage to the house next door; and WHEREAS, Upon the arrival of the second engine, the firefighters laid large-diameter hose from a nearby hydrant and made connection to the first engine; at this time, heavy winds drove the fire from the rear of the house throughout the entire structure and began causing heat damage to two neighboring houses on the left and rear; through the astute actions of the firefighters, the fire was brought under control and all units were clear at 3:55 a.m.; and WHEREAS, Due to the due diligence of off-duty Firefighter Cody Maricle, a family of five and their dog survived a devastating fire in which they lost everything but their lives; and WHEREAS, A resident of the Town of Oxford, New York, Cody Maricle is a vital member of the Village of Oxford Fire Department; and WHEREAS, Firefighters unwaveringly serve our great State with pride, valor, and integrity; these respected men and women are often the first to respond to an emergency, whether the emergency is a fire, an 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; Cody Maricle is such a firefighter; he heroically performs, 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 commend Cody Maricle upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Cody Maricle.