James A. Shannon saved Philip B. Hall, Sr., from burning, Hyde Park, Massachusetts, May 17, 1998. Hall, 83, was lying in bed in a bedroom on the second floor of his family’s two-story house after fire erupted in an adjoining bedroom. Shannon, 28, high school teacher, was driving through the neighborhood when he was alerted to smoke issuing from the house. He knocked on the front door of the house and alerted an occupant to the smoke. Moments later, having learned that Hall remained upstairs, Shannon entered the house and went to the second floor, where dense smoke reduced visibility and made breathing difficult. He proceeded through a hallway, passing the room in which the fire had started, and found Hall in his bedroom. Shannon picked Hall up, positioned him over his shoulder, then exited the bedroom and retraced his course to the stairs. As he passed the burning bedroom, flames by then were issuing into the hallway. Shannon carried Hall down the stairs and outside to safety. Shannon required hospital treatment for smoke inhalation, from which he ultimately recovered.
72766 – 8307
72766-8307